Gai Waterhouse will have Kimberley Star and Speak Fondly in the 2015 Silver Shadow Stakes and the leading Sydney trainer is happy with both fillies heading ahead of the Group 2 event at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Kimberley Star will make her black-type racing debut in the 2015 Silver Shadow Stakes at Royal Randwick on Saturday. Photo by: Steve Hart
Kimberley Star made her racing debut with a third place finish at Newcastle in November las year and she was sent to the spelling paddock after she finished second behind Odyssey Moon in the Inglis Nursery (1000m) at Royal Randwick on December 13.
The Star Witness filly made a slow start to her winter campaign, but she scored her maiden race win in the All Too Hard At Vinery Maiden (1300m) at Warwick Farm on July 1 before she went on to take out the TAB Rewards Handicap (1400m) at Royal Randwick on July 11 and the Structaflor Yellowtongue Plate (1400m) at Rosehill Gardens on August 1.
Waterhouse admits that Kimberley Star may not have the class required to win the 2015 Silver Shadow Stakes, but she believes that the three-year-old has plenty in common with Chris Waller-trained Japonisme, who upset the likes of Vancouver to win the Group 3 San Domenico Stakes (1100m) on Saturday.
“She is very much like the colt that won on Saturday – she has winter form and winter form can be very hard to beat as we saw on Saturday,” Waterhouse said.
“Kimberley Star is probably the most honest filly racing at this point in time in Sydney, but is she up to this class at this stage is the question mark.”
Kimberley Star will be joined in the 2015 Silver Shadow Stakes field by stablemate Speak Fondly, who has not been seen at the races since she finished 11th behind Vancouver in the Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 21.
Waterhouse has had a big opinion of Speak Fondly since she started her racing career with a credible third in the Listed Gimcrack Stakes (1000m) at Royal Randwick on October 4 and she has been happy with the daughter of Northern Meteor’s barrier trials at Royal Randwick on July 20 and July 31.
“Speak Fondly I always thought was a very talented filly and I always thought that she was a Golden Slipper filly,” Waterhouse said.
“She has done very well.”
Only eight horses were included in the 2015 Silver Shadow Stakes nominations and the Waterhouse duo are set to take on the likes of Fireworks, Italy, Kangarilla Joy, Lake Geneva, Secret Trail and Tempt Me Not.
