Improving filly Pretty In Pink held off a fast finishing Brave Song in the 2019 Group 2 $200,000 Sky Racing Moreton Cup (1200m) at Doomben today to gain a spot in the 2019 Stradbroke Handicap.
Brave Song, above, failed by a nose to pick up Pretty In Pink in the 2019 Moreton Cup at Doomben. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
The winner of the Moreton Cup is exempt from the ballot for the Group 1 $1.5m Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm next Saturday and Pretty In Pink will now head there after being number forty-one in the order of entry before today’s race.
Pretty In Pink races in the red and yellow colours of Segenhoe Thoroughbred Australia and the Stud’s Racing Manager Billy Mitchell said that the Sebring filly will take up the option and run in the Stradbroke Handicap in a week’s time if she pulls up well.
“I think we will. She will just have an easy week and off we go,” Mitchell said.
“There is not a lot of her so the back up will be testing at the same time you nearly have to do it if she pulls up well.”
“She has certainly raced against the best fillies in Sydney in the Spring and had a little mishap in the Autumn, a minor sort off injury that just set us back a bit on time and John said a long time ago that we will just have to aim for Brisbane and what a great job he has done to get here and win this.”
Trainer John O’Shea had only given Pretty In Pink one lead up run into the Moreton Cup but that was enough for the filly to hold out the fast finishing Brave Song who made up many lengths in the straight after being last when heads were turned for home.
Winter Bride ($4.40) sat on the pace and battled on strongly in the run to the line to finish a close up third for Blake Shinn while the $2.80 favourite Viridine made up some ground in the straight to finish fourth.
Winning jockey Robbie Fradd had Pretty In Pink ($14) settled in the first four from an inside barrier and the filly fought hard to the line to record a nose win over the Peter and Paul Snowden trained Brave Song ($4).
Pretty In Pink is now a $17 chance for the Stradbroke Handicap after $101 was on offer before the Moreton Cup.
