It has been a while between wins for one-time Crown Oaks favourite Maastricht, but co-trainer Wayne Hawkes could not be happier with the mare heading into the 2015 Toy Show Quality at Royal Randwick tomorrow.
Tommy Berry has been booked to ride Maastricht in the 2015 Toy Show Quality at Royal Randwick on Saturday. Photo by: Daniel Costello
Maastricht has not recorded a race win since she took out a benchmark 64 event at Bendigo on September 10, but she was placed in races like the Group 2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m) and Listed Ethereal Stakes (2000m) during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival, while she was placed in both the Group 2 Alister Clark Stakes (2040m) and Group 3 Adrian Knox Stakes (2000m) during her autumn campaign.
Hawkes told Racing Ahead that Maastricht was in outstanding condition ahead of her return to racing and his only concern is whether she can handle the Sydney way of going in the 2015 Toy Show Quality this weekend.
“She only got back to Sydney this morning,” Hawkes said.
“Everything about her is great, she has run second to the Oaks winner and all the form around her is fantastic.
“I think she only had the one run in Sydney and it was at Canterbury when she $1.50 favourite and whether she is a better Melbourne horse than a Sydney horse is just my question with her, but she is very, very well and is going great guns.”
Maastricht has been included in the nominations for both the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) and Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) during the 2015 Spring Racing Carnival, but Hawkes said that the stable does not have any firm plans with the mare and will make a decision about which path she follows after she runs in the Toy Show Quality tomorrow.
“We don’t know and we just want to get her going,” Hawkes said.
“She was fantastic running second and third in some really good form races, but she hadn’t got the job done in terms of getting over the line.
“She is much stronger, much more mature and looks an absolute treat.
“Tomorrow night we will be a lot smarter.”
Maastricht is currently available at 2015 Toy Show Quality odds of $16 and she is on the seventh line of betting behind last start winner Echo Gal ($3.70), Thousand Guineas winner Amicus ($4.60), Chris Waller-trained Wine Tales ($4.80), the consistent Two Blue ($6.50), Ingham Family-owned Kristy Lee ($7.50), and Kris Lees-trained Fine Bubbles ($11).
