Group 2 winning mare Steps In Time will be set for the Group 1 $600,000 Coolmore Classic (1500m) at Rosehill on March 22 under new trainer Joe Pride.
Steps In Time, gold and brown colours, winning the 2013 Thoroughbred Breeders Classic.
Steps In Time will be prepared for her Sydney Autumn Carnival campaign by the Warwick Farm trainer after being transferred from stables of John O’Shea who will be taking up duties as the head trainer of Darley after May.
While Pride was happy to accept the Danehill Dancer mare into his stable, O’Shea was disappointed to see her go.
“I never like to lose a horse from the stable, but the owners wanted to have her trained by the same trainer right through a preparation, so they have decided to move her on,” O’Shea told Racing Network.
Pride is unsure how long the six year old mare will race on and anticipates that she will head to stud after the Autumn Carnival.
“I would suspect it will only be for one preparation as she is likely to go to stud after the autumn, but we’ll aim her at a race like the Coolmore and see what happens,” Pride said.
Steps In Time’s front running style is similar to Pride’s stable star Rain Affair who has saluted twelve times for the hard working trainer including three at Group 2 level as well as four Group 1 placings.
Steps In Time has started favourite is the last two runnings of the Coolmore Classic against the fillies and mares, finishing eighth to Ofcourseican in 2012 and fourth, beaten three quarters of a length, behind Appearance last year.
The front running mare has two Group 2 wins to her credit, winning the $175,000 NSW Thoroughbred Breeders Classic (1200m) for the last two years, once at Warwick Farm and then last year at Rosehill.
Steps In Time had one placing from three Melbourne Spring Carnival starts last year when third to Platelet when she led the field down the Flemington straight in the Group 2 $220,000 Gilgai Stakes (1200m) on October 5.
The winner of eight races from twenty-three starts was then sent for a spell after finishing eighth to Fontelina in the Group 2 $300,000 Yellowglen Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on November 2.
