Set Square to resume in 1400m handicap

Monday 24 August 2015, 4:56pm

Set Square kicks off her Caulfield Cup campaign on Memsie Stakes day but trainer Ciaron Maher is planning to bypass the Group One feature and start the mare's campaign in a handicap on the undercard.

"I'm going to run her in the open handicap, I think," Maher said.

Last season's VRC Oaks winner is among 26 nominations in the Group One Memsie and is also entered in the open handicap and the mares' handicap, all over 1400 metres.

Maher says Set Square has come up in great order for her spring campaign and believes the open handicap, where apprentice Patrick Moloney can claim 1.5kg, is the right first-up option.

"It's a decent Memsie this year," Maher said.

"It is going to be a full field and I just think being a mare first-up, I think where she gets in on the weights it's a better option in the handicap."

The Memsie Stakes nominations feature nine Group One winners including 2013 Caulfield Cup winner Fawkner and multiple Group One winners Boban and Happy Trails.

Set Square had a quiet trial at Cranbourne earlier this month and Maher was pleased with her Caulfield jump-out last week.

"She's still got a fair bit of condition on her and her goals are a bit later but it's a nice kick-off for her," Maher said.

"She's a bigger, stronger mare now and I'm looking forward to getting her back to the races."

The Caulfield Cup is Set Square's main target.

"Four-year-old mares have got a good record in it. That's her aim and hopefully she comes up to the mark," Maher said.

Maher has imported stayer Kapour nominated for the Listed Slickpix Stakes (1700m) at Caulfield and the Listed Premier's Cup (1800m) at Rosehill.

He is yet to make a final decision but says if Kapour runs this week it is likely to be at Caulfield.

He also has the option of waiting a week for a 2000m handicap at Moonee Valley.

"His aims are The Metropolitan or The Bart Cummings," Maher said.

"He's had two trials and he's in good nick."

Maher said three-year-old colt Brockhoff would run in the McNeil Stakes at Caulfield instead of the Run To The Rose in Sydney, while Akavoroun is set to resume in Saturday's Group Three The Heath over 1100m at Caulfield.

– 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 »