Roger James has all but given up his Gr.2 Queensland Guineas aspirations for progressive Zabeel filly Katie’s Cove, who ran second in last weekend’s Gr.3 Hawkesbury Guineas.
“I thought the run was enormous and without a great deal of luck really,” James said.
“Unfortunately, I took her there to amass some more money to try and get her into the Queensland Guineas field … and she needed to win and that would have given her enough to get into the Guineas, but now it’s looking very doubtful she will.”
James said Katie’s Cove could contest the Gr.3 A$125,000 Fred Best Classic (1350m) for three-year-old fillies at Doomben on Saturday week in order to attempt to secure crucial stakes money to seal a spot in the A$350,000 Queensland Guineas (1600m) at Eagle Farm on May 31, but he believed it wasn’t an ideal lead-up.
“I’m looking at all alternatives and probably the best one is just to go to a three-year-old 1400m in Sydney in three weeks’ time worth $A85,000 and then bring her home and that might set her up for Melbourne in the spring
-NZ Racing Desk
