Thunder Lady has recovered from a nasty infection following a mosquito bite and will now be set for the 2015 Australian Oaks during the 2015 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.
Thunder Lady stamped herself as a filly to watch with a win in the Wakeful Stakes during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival. Photo by: Sarah Ebbett
Thunder Lady was sent to the spelling paddock after she finished second behind Set Square in the Group 1 Crown Oaks (2500m) at Flemington on November 6, but was rushed into the Randwick Equine Centre after a mosquito bite became badly affected.
Trainer John Sargent told Sky Racing HQ this morning that Thunder Lady had now recovered from the infection and looks to have taken no long-term harm from the incident, but the Royal Randwick-based trainer said that he will give the Mastercraftsman filly an additional two weeks in the spelling paddock before she returns to begin preparations for her autumn campaign.
“She actually had a bit of a hiccup last week,” Sargent said.
“She got a big infection from a mosquito bite and she had to come into the Randwick equine facility.
“She had a very high temperature and we had to pump her full of drugs for the week.
“She is back out again now as good as gold, but she lost a bit of weight through it.
“She was due back in next week, but I will just leave her out a couple more weeks to allow her to get over that.”
Thunder Lady made her racing debut in New Zealand in April and failed to record a race win in the first six starts of her career, but she stamped herself as a genuine Crown Oaks contender when she scored a tough staying win in the Group 2 Wakeful Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on November 1.
The three-year-old produced another excellent run in the Crown Oaks and Sargent is confident that the talented filly will continue to develop ahead of a tilt at the Group 1 Australian Oaks (2400m) during The Championships.
“She will be aimed towards the AJC Oaks in the autumn,” Sargent said.
“She is big enough now and she just needs to fill out.
“She is a big filly and what she did there was very promising.
“I thought that her run in the Oaks was the run of the race and Tom (jockey Tommy Berry) probably should have stayed back and come up on the back of Bowman like Shinn did in the Wakeful.
“We went round and that probably cost her finishing closer.
“I think now if she fills out across the top and the back and the neck she will be a lovely staying filly in the autumn.”
Sargent is chasing his first win in the Australian Oaks after previously missing the placings with Miss Mossman (2014), Vedodara (1995) and Filament (1993).
