Ygritte ready to step out of the shadows in the San Domenico Stakes

Promising filly Ygritte is ready to step out from behind the shadows of some of her better performed stablemates when she lines up in the Group 3 $125,000 Smithfield RSL Club San Domenico Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday.

Ygritte, blue and red, above running second to Clifton Red in the Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes at Flemington.

Ygritte, blue and red, above running second to Clifton Red in the Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes at Flemington. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.

Ygritte was runner up three times at Group 3 level during the Sydney Autumn Carnival and had to play second fiddle to Peggy Jean who collected a Group 1 victory for trainer Gerald Ryan in taking out the $1m Inglis Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on April 12.

Ryan’s headline colt Rubick also stole the limelight with two stunning wins before finishing fourth to Earthquake in the Group 1 $1m Sportingbet Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 22.

The top Rosehill trainer believes that Ygritte showed enough promise with her Autumn form to give him confidence that she will be the three year old to produce the most improvement in the new season.

After winning on debut over 1000m at Kembla Grange on Febriary 1, Ygritte recorded three second placings in the Group 3 $150,000 Widden Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill, the Group 3 $150,000 TBV Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes (1200m) at Flemington and the Group 3 $500,000 Girvan Waugh Royal Randwick Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on April 19, the second day of ‘The Championships’.

“She’s the filly from the Autumn I have been most looking forward to coming back,” Ryan told the Sportsman.

“I reckon she had that more scope for improvement than the others and she has come back pretty good.”

“Everything we threw at her in the autumn she copped every bit of it, she only won her maiden, but she was probably unlucky not to win one or two others.

“I am really happy with the way she is heading into the race.”

If Ryan is correct and Ygritte runs up to his expectations, he will have plenty of options where to head with the Snitzel filly for the rest of the Spring Carnival.

The Group 1 $1m Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on September 13 would be high on the agenda as will the Group 1 $500,000 Schweppes Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on October 11.

“If we’re going to go to the Golden Rose she can go to the Run For The Rose or if she doesn’t she could go to the Furious next,” Ryan said.

The Group 3 $125,000 Run To The Rose (1200m) at Rosehill on August 30 is the traditional lead up race for the Golden Rose while the Group 2 $175,000 Furious Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on September 6 would suit if Ryan wanted to keep her against the fillies.

Ryan will saddle up two runners in the San Domenico Stakes with Washington Heights also resuming from a short break.

Washington Heights has only started once for a second to Hallowed Crown in the Group 3 $200,000 Widden Kindergarten Stakes (1100m) at Randwick on April 12 and Ryan also has a high opinion of the Commands colt.

“Both are running in a race that are short of their best journeys,” Ryan said.

“They’ll get off the speed and be getting to the line. It’s not their Melbourne Cup, it’s their kicking off point and I’m happy with where they are heading into the race.”

The Team Hawkes trained Nostradamus heads the San Domenico Stakes market order with Ladbrokes.com.au at $3.80 with Washington Heights the second pick at $4.20 just in front of Ygritte at $5.

Bugatty, also from the Hawkes stable, is next in the betting at $6.50 with the Gai Waterhouse trained Wandjina at $9 and the top weight Law at $11.

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.