She can do it in Coolmore
Michael lee
Fillies and mares will take centrestage in the Coolmore Classic at Rosehill on March 15, but it is usually the more seasoned females that are favoured in the Group 1 race.
Trainer Peter Moody's Typhoon Tracy is the last three-year-old filly to win the 1,500m feature in 2009.
But Sydney premier trainer Chris Waller, who knows a thing or two about horses of the so-called fairer sex, as the deeds of Winx and Via Sistina can attest to, has the girl power to buck the trend this year.
The Kiwi saddles boom filly Lady Shenandoah, who along with 2024 Golden Slipper winner Lady Of Camelot, are two of three 3YOs among the 14 runners going around in the A$1 million (S$840,000) contest.
The duo hogged the last 200m of the Group 1 Surround Stakes (1,400m) at Randwick on March 1 for an epic joust that swung Lady Shenandoah's way by not much.
All week, Lady Shenandoah was a doubtful Coolmore Classic starter, but punters reacted when her name popped up on the card by installing her as the 5-4 favourite.
That Surround formline seems to have swayed them as the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Lady Of Camelot is on the third line of betting at 6-1, with last-start Group 2 Guy Walter Stakes (1,400m) winner Amelia's Jewel splitting them in the market.
The ex-Perth wonder mare is at 9-2, a fair price given her all-the-way win under James McDonald on March 1 - albeit the Siyouni five-year-old got on-speed favours at that 10th win - and first for Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald.
While little can be learned from a 400m sprint home, it has given Amelia's Jewel her confidence back. She last won on Sept 29, 2023 in the Group 2 Stocks Stakes (1,600m) when then still prepared by Perth trainer Simon Miller.
History may be against the two "Ladies" in the Coolmore Classic, but the class they oozed in the Surround could be the telling factor.
Those who took the short 3-1 on odds on Lady Shenandoah would have been nervous at the 200m mark, but all was well that ended well. Under the urgings of the two jockeys, the pair scrambled home with a short-neck advantage going to Lady Shenandoah.
The margin between them was decidedly narrow but they left the third horse, Lazzura, behind by a big gap, and the overall time of 1min 20.56sec was slick.
By Snitzel, Lady Shenandoah is a deserved favourite. She has both upside and superstar qualities.
McDonald maintains the ride in the Coolmore, which is a tip in itself as the star jockey will be riding at 54.5kg and has not stated if he will be riding overweight.
As a filly, carrying 54.5kg is a fair level up in the weights. In contrast, Manaal (fifth in the Surround), who is the third 3YO, drops right down in the weights on 51kg and may give some cheek.
Mares are known to turn in rough results occasionally, so the long odds of the lightweight brigade should not be a deterrent.
While it may be tempting to look at horses carrying a postage-stamp weight, given the make-up of this field and the context of the race, Lady Shenandoah is still the horse to beat, regardless.
Recent history also suggests the top end of the scale is where most of the winners hail from.
Only one Coolmore Classic winner in the past eight years has carried less than 55kg and that is Espiona (51kg) in 2023.
Whether Waller heeded that trivia when picking between the Coolmore Classic and the Group 2 Phar Lap Stakes (1,500m) is moot.
But just to make that call is a huge vote of confidence she can win the Coolmore Classic. Waller is typically the cautious type who tends to stick with the Phar Lap for his best three-year-old fillies.
Barrier 13 is tricky but, if McDonald can offset that, drive her out and find a spot behind the speed, she should not find any excuses.
manyan@sph.com.sg
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