Secret Agenda broke through for her maiden win at stakes level with an impressive performance in the 2015 Gucci Stakes at Flemington this afternoon.
Secret Agenda was well-backed in the lead-up to the Gucci Stakes and she was taken to the inside of the track by jockey Damien Oliver in the early stages of the race, while the horses on the outside kicked clear early.
Oliver held Secret Agenda up until the 400 metre mark before she absolutely unleashed an outstanding turn-of-foot to quickly put pay to her rivals and record a dominant Gucci Stakes win from Tempt Me Not and Lake Geneva.
Oliver has partnered Secret Agenda since she was labelled as a Blue Diamond Stakes contender as a two-year-old, but the leading hoop admitted that he was surprised just how well she got through the ground in the Gucci Stakes.
“We had a nice sit off the leader and she really loved the ground,” Oliver said.
“She hadn’t seen a soft track before, but today she just flew through it.
“She has always shown a heap of potential this filly, but she got injured in a Blue Diamond Prelude, which was unfortunate for her because she would have been a serious chance in a Blue Diamond.
“She has deservedly won a good stakes race today.”
Mick Price revealed after the race that he was always confident that Secret Agenda would handle the wet track in the Gucci Stakes and he was clearly delighted that the daughter of Not A Single Doubt had been able to record a maiden win at black-type level after she previously finished second in the Group 3 Champagne Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on September 25 and the Group 3 Thoroughbred Club Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on October 10.
“I know that the form guide didn’t say it, but she worked on the inside grass at Caulfield a fair bit and we often get it choppy there on a Saturday morning,” Price said.
“She handled that track really well, so I figured I had a little bit of information about it, but she had to make up a fair bit of ground on the outside horses too.
“She is Group 3 placed on two occasions and for her to put one away makes her a really valuable broodmare.
“She was clearly the suited horse in the race and D Oliver on always gives you confidence because he tends to know where to go.
Tempt Me Not hit the line strongly to finish second, while Lake Geneva produced another solid effort to sneak into the placings.
