Trainer John O’Shea still has a strong chance of winning the Group 2 $175,000 Coolmore Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) at Randwick today with Memorial following the scratching of high profile stablemate Earthquake from the three year old fillies’ race.
Memorial is trainer John O'Shea's chance of winning the Silver Shadow Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.
O’Shea didn’t want to risk last season’s two year old star Earthquake on a heavy track first up but thought that Memorial was fit enough to handle the wet conditions.
Randwick was rated a heavy 9 this morning but O’Shea is confident that Memorial will race well on the soft ground at her first run back since finishing eighth to Eloping in the Group 3 $500,000 Girvan Waugh Royal Randwick Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on April 19.
At her previous start the Street Cry filly finished a creditable fifth to Mossfun on a heavy track in the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill on April 5.
“Memorial seems to have a little bit of wet track form,” O’Shea told Racing HQ Saturday.
“She performed very well in the Slipper, she performed very well at Warwick Farm one day on a wet track.
“She is sort of fit enough and has drawn an appropriate gate for us to give consideration to run her.”
Earthquake has a long Spring Carnival program planned and O’Shea didn’t want to flatten her first up on a heavy track and the Exceed And Excel filly will now probably kick off her Spring in the Group 2 $175,000 Furious Stakes (1200m) at Randwick in two weeks time.
“She will go in a fortnight,” O’Shea said.
“She’s in great order, very very very happy with her. There has a long campaign ahead of her.”
“To turn up today on a heavy 9 when she is not at her absolute best, first run, I didn’t see the benefit of it.”
“She has got so many options going forward for her in the Spring.”
With the scratching of Earthquake, the Peter Moody trained Bring Me The Maid is now the short priced favourite in the six horse Silver Shadow Stakes with Ladbrokes.com.au at $1.85 with Memorial the second pick at $3.80.
Alpha Miss from the Gary Nickson stable is next in the market order at $6.50 ahead of Press Report at $9, Nayeli at $13 and Clover Lane at $31.
Moody is not concerned about running Bring Me The Maid first up on a heavy track after the Sebring filly finished third in the Golden Slipper on the heavy.
“You only need to look at her form to see that she isn’t a bad filly,” Moody told Sky Racing HQ.
“She is proven on the soft ground with the residual fitness through that Queensland winter.
“They are ready to run first-up and I don’t really fear having a hard run because of that base fitness.
“She will go to the races and it will take a good one to beat her I think.”
