Pasadena Girl has been backed into 2015 Champagne Stakes odds of $2.80 and is set to start the Group 1 event at Royal Randwick tomorrow as a clear favourite.
Pasadena Girl has the chance to record a maiden win at Group 1 level in the 2015 Champagne Stakes at Royal Randwick tomorrow. Photo by: Adrienne Bicknell
The promising filly opened alongside Odyssey Moon in early Champagne Stakes betting markets, but there has been consistent support for the two-year-old throughout the week and punters are confident that she can record a maiden win at the highest level of racing.
Pasadena Girl made her racing debut with an upset win in the Listed Talindert Stakes (1100m) and she proved that win was no fluke when she hit the line strongly to take out the Group 3 Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on March 14.
Trainer Peter Moody elected to send Pasadena Girl to Melbourne for the Group 1 Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick on April 6 and the juvenile was caught in the wrong part of the track before she hit the line well to finish fourth.
Moody admits that he did not think that Pasadena Girl would be able to perform up to this level as a two-year-old, but he told Racing Ahead that the Savabeel filly gives every indication that she is a genuine winning chance in the 2015 Champagne Stakes, especially if the rain stays away from Royal Randwick in the lead-up to the race.
“She has just been an unbelievable surprise packet,” Moody said.
“I expected her to start off her career at a mile as a mid to late three-year-old and here we are having our fourth start as a two-year-old after winning two Stakes races and a slightly unlucky fourth in a Sires Produce.
“She just continues to surprise in the way that she does and she probably heads to the races again heavier tomorrow than she has in her previous three runs, which is terrific for a two-year-old filly.
“Everything about her suggests that she will have no trouble with the mile and I think if we get an improving surface that will aid her chances tomorrow because I just think that she will travel better like she did down the straight at Flemington on a better surface.”
Vlad Duric rode Pasadena Girl in the first three starts of her racing career, but leading Sydney hoop Hugh Bowman has been booked to partner the talented filly in the Champagne Stakes.
Moody said that Duric did nothing wrong in his previous rides on Pasadena Girl, but he said he did not want to miss out on the opportunity of having Sydney’s best jockey in the saddle.
“He is a Sydney jock and it was horses for courses basically,” Moody said.
“Vlad has done nothing wrong on her and I feel for him, but we just looked at the option of having someone playing at home and that is always a distinct advantage.
“There is probably no one riding better than Bowman at the moment, he had a spin on her here on Tuesday morning alongside Dissident and he pleased her no end.”
Odyssey Moon is available at 2015 Champagne Stakes odds of $3.80 and he is on the second line of betting from Takedown ($6), Tarquin ($6) and Street Rapper ($9.50).
