First Seal is a clear favourite in 2014 Spring Champion Stakes betting markets and trainer John Thompson is confident that the talented filly can become the first filly in history to win the Group 1 event at Royal Randwick tomorrow.
First Seal has the chance to record a second straight Group 1 win in the Spring Champion Stakes this weekend. Photo by: Steve Hart
Thompson was planning to send First Seal to the spelling paddock after she ran in the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick last weekend, but he elected to change his plan after the Fastnet Rock filly stormed clear of her rivals to record a dominant win in the Group 1 event.
The rising trainer told Sky Racing HQ that First Seal had come through her Flight Stakes victory in outstanding condition and he believes that the three-year-old is capable of beating the likes of Sweynesse and Panzer Division in the Spring Champion Stakes tomorrow.
“She has come through fantastic,” Thompson said.
“The plan was to only give her the four runs this spring, to give her a light campaign and put her out for a spell and have a good go at the autumn, but she won so well last week and came through with fantastic form.
“We will run her one more time and then she will go for a break.
“A filly hasn’t won it for a long time, but it has basically been a colts and geldings race.
“This year with the small change in programming the fillies are able to go to it and she is a pretty exceptional horse.
“She is one that can do it.”
First Seal still has one run left in her 2014 Spring Racing Carnival campaign, but Thompson is already looking towards the 2015 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival with the filly that he believes may be the best horse that he has ever trained.
Thompson said that there are a variety of options in the autumn for First Seal and he confirmed that he would be happy to give the filly an opportunity against the older horses if her form warranted.
“She will start off in the fillies races and depending on how she goes there will probably progress to the Coolmore against the older mares and depending on how she performs there we will decide whether we go back to three-year-old races through the Vinery and the Oaks or we go to the Doncaster and maybe even the Queen Elizabeth,” Thompson said.
First Seal is currently available at Spring Champion Stakes odds of $1.85 and she is a clear favourite from Sweynesse ($3.70) and Panzer Division ($6.50).
