Trainer John Sargent said that he is very happy with 2013 Crown Oaks favourite Kirramosa and expects her to be very difficult to beat in the Group 1 event at Flemington tomorrow.
Trainer John Sargent is confident that Kirramosa can record a second straight win in the 2013 Crown Oaks at Flemington tomorrow. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Kirramosa stormed into Crown Oaks favoritism with a dominant victory in the Group 2 Wakeful Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on Saturday; with the Alamosa filly the clear market mover in Crown Oaks betting markets.
Sargent told Racing Ahead that he was happy with the performance of Kirramosa in the Crown Oaks and said that she has come out of her first victory at Group level in excellent condition.
“I am very happy with her and hopefully we can get her to the start tomorrow in the same form as Saturday,” Sargent said.
“She has always shown a bit of class and has been unlucky here a few times since she has been over at Randwick.
“I said to Tommy Berry that as long as you get a bit of free air we will see and it was good to see her finishing strongly.”
Kirramosa came from the back of the field to win the Wakeful Stakes last weekend but Sargent said that she has the versatility and tactical speed to be ridden closer to the pace, if that is required in the $1 million race on Thursday.
Leading Sydney jockey Nash Rawiller, who lost his irons on Opinion in the Carnival Handicap at Flemington yesterday, will take the ride and Sargent said that he will be leaving it to Rawiller to access the tempo of the race.
“I will leave it to him,” Sargent said.
“He has ridden her in trackwork and he is one of the best in Australia so I will leave it to him.
“She can do either, she had to go back in Australia because she didn’t jump the best, and either way as long as she is comfortable.
“If she goes back there is probably only nine in front so she doesn’t have a lot of horses to get around but if they walk she is probably better up the front.
“I will leave it to him and see how she jumps and he can slot in somewhere.”
Sargent has always had a big opinion of Kirramosa and he is confident that she will justify her 2013 Crown Oaks betting support and give him just his second Group 1 victory in Australia after winning the 2012 Queensland Derby with the recently retired Quintessential.
“If she steps to her Wakeful form, which is always very good form into the Oaks, she should be very hard to beat,” Sargent said.
“She has done everything right since but you don’t know until they race whether they can back up but at this stage everything has gone to plan.”
