Tricky Gal set to shine in Sapphire Stakes

Thursday 25 June 2020, 10:53am

While many of her rivals are on their way to the breeding barn, Sydney mare Tricky Gal will be have her spring claims put under the microscope at Doomben.

Tricky Gal will make a belated appearance in Brisbane to tackle the Group Three Sapphire Stakes (1600m) at Doomben.

The Sapphire Stakes, which was formerly known as the Glenlogan Park Stud Stakes, has proved a good guide to future spring carnival races in the past two decades.

Warwick Farm trainer Matthew Smith hopes that will be the case again with Tricky Gal.

He had been planning a full-scale assault on the winter carnival before coronavirus pandemic restrictions were introduced.

Smith had decided on a short Sydney campaign but changed his thinking when the winter races were expanded into June and July.

Tricky Gal has been taken along slowly and given plenty of time to mature with10 starts for five wins and four minor placings.

Smith said Tricky Gal was a promising mare who could run fast final sectional times.

"She is an adaptable mare who has won on heavy going and is unbeaten on soft tracks," he said.

"But she is effective in good going as well. So no matter the conditions on Saturday she will handle them.

"She has had four starts at 1600m for two wins and two seconds so we would expect her to be competitive."

Many of the mares in the Sapphire Stakes and other races at Doomben are entered for the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale next month.

But Smith believes Tricky Gal is good for at least another season of racing.

"She can have a break after Saturday and then it will be on to the spring. There are a lot of black-type races for mares to suit her," Smith said.

He also has dual acceptor Sweet Thomas in the Group Three Premiers Cup at Doomben and the Listed Stayers Cup at Rosehill.

"I will keep an eye on the weather in Sydney but he will probably stay down here," Smith said.

A former German stayer, Sweet Thomas hasn't won for two years but Smith has had a lot of luck switching horses to Brisbane.

His gelding Milk Man, a former French galloper, won his first race in two years at Doomben last week.

– AAP

Latest News

Prime Thoroughbreds - We have a Host of Leaders in our Team

Tuesday, 29 June 2021

Prime Thor­ough­bred’s cur­rent rac­ing team is putt­ing to­gether quite a re­cord. We have 22 hors­es that have raced in our team at pre­sent. Six­teen of th­ese are win­n­ers in­clud­ing the Stakes win­n­ing trio Ru­bisa­ki, Fituese and Xtreme­time with Miss Di­vine Em and Miss In Charge run­n­ing 4th in Stakes races. This sees a stakes win­n­er to win­n­er ra­tio of 18.75% with a stake’s per­formed to win­n­er ra­tio of 31.25%. Th­ese are ex­cep­tio­n­al fig­ures.   More »

Freedmans land maiden Group One win

Saturday, 27 February 2021

Un­der-rat­ed fil­ly For­bid­den Love has emerged as an au­tumn car­ni­val smokey with a bril­liant per­for­mance to win the Sur­round Stakes at Rand­wick.  More »

Capriccio completes Damian Lane treble

Saturday, 27 February 2021

In a big day for coun­try-trained hors­es, War­r­nam­bool fil­ly Capric­cio has tak­en out the In­glis Dash for Daniel Bow­man.  More »

More news headlines »