Smart filly Ghisoni will be kept to the shorter sprint distances when she competes in the upcoming Sydney and Melbourne Spring Racing Carnivals.
Ghisoni, above, will be kept to sprint distances during the Spring Carnival. Photo by Daniel Costello.
Ghisoni showed that she was a mare of the future after showing signs of brilliance during her three year old season with wins in the Group 2 $175,000 Coolmore Surround Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on February 27 and in the Group 3 $150,000 Glenlogan Park Stakes (1350m) at Doomben on May 28.
The Lonhro filly wrapped up her Winter Carnival campaign with a fifth to Cradle Me in the Group 2 $200,000 Bundaberg Rum Dane Ripper Stakes (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 11 after being slow to leave the barriers.
Trainer John O’Shea was thinking of running her in the Group 1 $500,000 Sky Racing Tattersall’s Club Tiara (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 25 but after careful consideration decided to send her to the spelling paddock to give her extra time off before being prepared for the Spring.
As well as her two wins during the Autumn and Winter Carnivals, O’Shea was also impressed with Ghisoni’s fifth in the Group 2 $500,000 Arrowfield 3yo Sprint (1200m) at Randwick on April 9 when badly held up for a run in the straight.
“I thought the best run of her campaign was when she got beat in the Arrowfield Sprint at Randwick,” O’Shea told racing.com.
“She just didn’t have any luck and I’d imagine that form around Japonisme, Counterattack and the like will be strong this spring.”
O’Shea said that he would keep Ghisoni to the shorter courses during the Spring with long term plans to have her at her prime to tackle the Group 1 $600,000 Coolmore Classic (1500m) at Rosehill during the 2017 Sydney Autumn Carnival.
“She races best on the fresh side and the plan is not to expose her too much,” O’Shea said.
“The Coolmore Classic is a race we think is the perfect target in the autumn and it is a race where weight plays a huge part and the mares carrying too much find it difficult.”
O’Shea did test Ghisoni against the older mares during the Sydney Autumn Carnival this year when she finished a game sixth behind Peeping in this year’s version of the Coolmore Classic.
O’Shea has selected the Group 2 $300,000 Premiere Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on October 1 as Ghisoni’s Spring Carnival pipe opener before she heads to Melbourne for the Group 2 $300,000 tab.com.au Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on Derby Day.
