Stephen Marsh’s long-range plan to campaign a couple of promising mares off-carnival in Australia steps up a notch this week with Campari (O'Reilly x Lillet) and Mark Two tackling city assignments.
The lightly raced but well performed pair scored maiden wins at Gosford earlier this month.
Campari, who was sold out of Trelawney Stud’s 2016 New Zealand Bloodstock draft, heads to Warwick Farm on Wednesday for The Agency Real Estate Handicap (1400m).
“They are well bred mares and have black type as three-year-olds so instead of kicking off in $10,000 maidens we’re having a throw at the stumps and if we’re successful at it we’ll start doing more of it,’’ Marsh said.
“They ran for $35,000 the other day at Gosford and that’s $15,000 off a Listed race for us so it made sense to have a crack.’’
Campari’s Gosford win, over an unsuitable 1100m, was her first start since running a close third in a 1400m Listed race at Ellerslie almost a year ago.
Marsh said the long break was due to minor issues resulting from the four-year-old being cast in her box one day and with the Sydney mission in mind she was given an extended break.
It certainly did her no harm as she easily accounted for subsequent winner Flamin’ Al under 59.5kg at Gosford on October 4.
“She’s definitely not an 1100m horse, we were relieved a bit of rain came to slow them up a bit,’’ Marsh said.
“The 1400m will suit her a lot more and she will go straight to a mile after this.
“The only thing you’d say is she went big first-up and sometimes they aren’t quite as effective second-up but we’ve given her long enough between runs.’’
Tim Clark will ride Campari, $3.40 favourite with TAB on Tuesday, and the plan is to head to a Saturday race if she runs to Marsh’s expectations second-up.
Go Racing purchased Campari for $100,000 and she has run in the money in each of her five starts. -Racing NSW