Premiership winning trainer Chris Waller has both positive and negative thoughts about his star filly Omei Sword drawing the outside barrier in the nineteen horse field of the Group 1 $600,000 Coolmore Classic (1500m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
Omei Sword, above, will need plenty of luck from the outside barrier in the Coolmore Classic at Rosehill. Photo by Steve Hart.
Omei Sword will need more than her fair share of luck to overcome the horror draw but Waller said that the filly will be out of trouble out there and will get a clear run.
“It’s far from ideal but it’s a good long run down the Rosehill straight,” Waller told AAP.
“You could turn it into a positive, give her a bit of room and see how she finishes off.”
Omei Sword made a belated start to her 2017 Sydney Autumn Carnival campaign after suffering muscle soreness in her preparation but resumed with an eye catching second to Kiwi filly La Bella Diosa on a heavy track in the Group 2 $200,000 Theraces.com.au Surround Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on February 25.
Waller was very pleased with Omei Sword’s first up effort and the way she has pulled up and is looking forward to seeing her step up to the 1500m of the Coolmore Classic against the older mares.
“Her first-up run was good. She’d done plenty of work prior to her first-up run. That not only allowed her to race well but also pull up well afterwards as well,” Waller said.
“Second up, 1500 metres, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“She’s a very good horse. You should never underestimate taking on the older horses though. She’s not that well suited at the weights.”
“There’s some pretty well-performed horses at similar weights.
“In the weight-for-age scale she’d be much better suited against a lot of them. Unfortunately she’s been handicapped because of her ability.”
Brenton Avdulla replaces Hugh Bowman, who is riding at the Newmarket Handicap meeting at Flemington, and the premiership leading jockey has the tough task ahead of finding the winning post first on Oemi Sword.
Avdulla is no stranger to the High Chaparral filly and the pair have combined in the past for a second in the Group 2 $175,000 Bede Murray Magic Night Stakes (1200m) at this very same meeting twelve months ago and then in the Spring teamed up for a win in the Group 2 $175,000 Alpha Flight Services Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) at Randwick.
Even though Omei Sword has to overcome the handicap of the horror barrier draw, she is comfortably holding onto favouritism for the Coolmore Classic at $3.70 with Ladbrokes.com.au ahead of the Ron Quinton trained Dixie Blossoms who has firmed into $6.50.
The only other runner under the $10 mark is the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained dual Group 1 winner Global Glamour at $8 ahead of Surround Stakes winner La Bella Diosa at $10.
