Stablemates Shoals and Santa Ana Lane are gearing up for their major Spring Carnival outing in the $13m The Everest (1200m) at Randwick on October 13 with a Cranbourne barrier trial today.
Shoals, above, is progressing nicely towards The Everest 2018 at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.
Both sprinters are trained by Anthony Freedom and there was only a head between them when Shoals won the 800m trial with Santa Ana Lane a nose and a nose away in third position with Angelic Spirit splitting the pair.
Shoals will run in The Everest slot owned by The Star and will be ridden by Sydney based jockey Tim Clark who made the trip to Cranbourne today to ride the mare and was very impressed with her performance.
“It was a good positive trial from her and she’s done that on a couple of occasions now this time in,” Clark said.
“I’ve only ridden her the once so it was nice to get back on her and try to learn a bit more about her as we go along.
“She jumped well and just cruised through the first three-quarters of the trial and when I clicked her up a little bit more late in the trial I thought she extended really well in the last 100 metres and did it pretty effortlessly.”
Shoals was the winner of three Group 1 races during her three year old season and Clark was aboard for one of those wins, her last start victory against the older mares in the Group 1 $1m Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville on May 5.
The Fastnet Rock mare’s other Group 1 wins were in the $500,000 Myer Classic (1600m) at Flemington during the 2017 Melbourne Spring Carnival and in the $500,000 James Boag’s Premium Surround Stakes (1400m) at Randwick during the 2018 Sydney Autumn Carnival.
Santa Ana Lane was also a three times Group 1 winner during the 2017 – 2018 racing season with wins in the $500,000 Keno Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield during the 2017 Spring Carnival, in the $1m Darley Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville in May and in the $1.5m Stradbroke Handicap (1350m) at Doomben during the 2018 Brisbane Winter Carnival.
Santa Ana Lane will run in Inglis’ slot in The Everest and will kick off his campaign in the Group 3 $150,000 The Heath 1100 Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on September 1 while Shoals will resume a week later in the Group 2 $200,000 Mitty’s McEwen Stakes (1000m) at The Valley.
In early betting for the The Everest 2018 at Ladbrokes.com.au Shoals is marked at $15 just ahead of her stablemate Santa Ana Lane at $16 while the Gerald Ryan trained Trapeze Artist heads the market order at $4.80.
Confirmed runners for the 2018 The Everest: Trapeze Artist (Aquis, slot holder), In Her Time (TAB), Redzel (Yulong Investments), Brave Smash (Chris Waller Racing), Shoals (The Star), English (Damion Flower), Santa Ana Lane (Inglis) and U S Navy Flag (Coolmore), Vega Magic (James Harron), three remaining slots yet to be filled.
Early betting for the 2018 The Everest at Ladbrokes.com.au: $4.80 Trapeze Artist, $5.50 Redzel, $7 Nature Strip, Vega Magic, $11 Pierata, $12 In Her Time, Kementari, $14 U S Navy Flag, $15 Shoals, $16 Santa Ana Lane, Invincible Star, $21 Brave Smash, $26 English, Winx, $31 Happy Clapper, Le Romain, $41 Showtime, $51 or better the rest.
