A Hong Kong trip is still on the cards for Group 1 winning mare Sea Siren after trainer John O’Shea gave her the all clear after a tough run at Flemington last Saturday.
Sea Siren has been cleared after a tough run to finish second in the Patinack Farm Classic. Photo by: Daniel Costello
Sea Siren put up a gallant effort when second to the Peter Snowden trained Mental in the Group 1 $1m Patinack Farm Classic (1200m) and will now head to Hong Kong for the Group 1 HK$14m Longines Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) at Sha Tin on December 9.
O’Shea is happy with the way Sea Siren has pulled up after trying her heart out on Saturday and will prepare the four year old for her first trip overseas in December.
“She’s pulled up really well,” O’Shea said.
“I was very happy with her run. There’s obviously not a great deal between her and Mental and he just had the better run.”
”We are definitely going provided everything goes right in the next couple of weeks.”
“She couldn’t have done much more on Saturday, she was beaten but not disgraced. Mental had the drop on her all the way and I think if he didn’t have her back, it might have been a different result.”
“It would be good to have another go at him, if they decide to send him to Hong Kong.”
The race didn’t pan out as O’Shea expected and when Hugh Bowman on Buffering elected to go to the grandstand side of the Flemington straight, Jim Cassidy on Sea Siren was left without a leader to follow down the middle of the track and was a sitting shot for Mental.
“I think the tactics on Buffering surprised everybody. It meant we ended up with no cover and had to be exposed a bit early,” O’Shea said.
Sea Siren has established herself as one of the top sprinters in Australia after winning two Group 1s over the Brisbane Winter Carnival before being prepared for the Spring.
The then three year old scored her first Group 1 win in the $400,000 Bundaberg Distilling Co. BTC Cup (1200m) at Doomben on May 12 and followed that up with a win in the Group 1 $650,000 Carlton Mid Doomben 10,000 (1350m) at the same track two weeks later.
The Fastnet Rock mare resumed with a win in the Group 1 $500,000 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on October 26 before being sent out favourite when second to Mental on Saturday.
Mental is scheduled to join the Godolphin stable in England and will fly out with a contingent of Darley horses in December but a run in the Hong Kong Sprint hasn’t been completely ruled out and a rematch with Sea Siren is still a possibility.
But Buffering’s Hong Kong trip has been cancelled after pulling up lame after an uncharacteristic run in the Patinack Farm Classic, finishing eighth.
Buffering was examined after the race by Racing Victoria’s club vet who found the five year old to be lame in the off hind leg and trainer Robert Heathcote indicated that he would send him to the spelling paddock.
