Much interest in two-year-old trials

Sunday 23 September 2012, 4:35pm

All eyes will be on Most Joyful at Warwick Farm on Monday when the full sister to star mare More Joyous makes her first public appearance in a barrier trial.

The More Than Ready filly out of Sunday Joy is part of a strong team from the Gai Waterhouse stable competing at the annual official trials for the youngsters.

Her stablemate Pierro made his debut at the corresponding set of trials last year and ran second, the only time he has been beaten on a racetrack.

But where it counts, his career has been spectacular with seven wins from seven starts including the juvenile triple crown and he is now favourite for the Cox Plate ahead of More Joyous, the winner of 20 of her 29 starts.

Anthony Cummings is also hoping to produce a Golden Slipper contender when Surge Ahead has his second trial.

He is a half-brother to Smart Missile, the only horse to beat Sepoy in his two-year-old season.

After getting the better of Sepoy in the Todman Stakes, Smart Missile challenged the Darley colt for favouritism in the Golden Slipper but was withdrawn from the race when he got his leg caught on an upright in the barrier.

A tendency to hang in cost him victory in the Golden Rose the following spring and he was retired to Arrowfield Stud after two more starts.

"Surge Ahead is coming along nicely and his trial will determine whether he goes to the Breeders' Plate," Cummings said.

"He is not as explosive as Smart Missile but he is a very nice horse.

"He ran third in his first trial and I'd like to see how much progress he has made.

"If he doesn't get to the Breeders, we'll put him away and bring him back after Christmas to get ready for the Slipper."

The Listed Breeders' Plate for colts and geldings and the Gimcrack Stakes for fillies, both over 1000 metres, will be run on October 6 at Randwick on the Epsom Handicap program.

– AAP

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