Horse racing: Positive vibe for Licketysplit

She's Licketysplit's last-start win at Flemington and her progression since have given Forsman the confidence to empower jockey Damian Lane to be positive on her over tomorrow's 1600m.

It took Kiwi trainer Andrew Forsman only one look at She's Licketysplit for him to give jockey Damian Lane the freedom to ride her positively in the A$1 million Guineas at Caulfield today.

Forsman has started his solo career, after years training with Murray Baker, in stunning fashion but the stakes start to get seriously high in the next month starting with the 1000 Guineas at Caulfield today running through to Mr Maestro as the Victoria Derby favourite on October 29.

The two three-year-olds are competing for big money, and in the case of She's Licketysplit, an enormous boost to her future broodmare career should she add today's Group 1 to the Sistema Stakes she won at the same level at Ellerslie in March.

Which is why Forsman loved what he saw from his three-year-olds after he flew into Melbourne on Monday.

"They both look great, all four of the horses we have here do," he told the Herald. "But the two three-year-olds are really thriving. The filly is as ready as she can be for Wednesday."

She's Licketysplit's last-start win at Flemington and her progression since have given Forsman the confidence to empower Lane to be positive on her over today's 1600m.

"She is so well and has the right draw if Damian wants to go forward and be positive, I am all for it," says Forsman. "I think handy is the place to be around Caulfield and we have the right jockey because Damian is riding so well.

"So she will be put in the race, and if Boogie Dancer [the favourite] is good enough to come beat us, then so be it."

She's Licketysplit is an advanced filly for so early in her three-year-old career and should be better for her first Caulfield outing two starts ago when Boogie Dancer beat her on a wet track that didn't really suit the Cambridge filly.

If she can get handy, or even lead, in a smallish field lacking pressure, she will take enormous catching in what would be a dream result for Forsman, the filly's owners and the New Zealand breeding industry.

She's Licketysplit is sired by former Baker/Forsman star Turn Me Loose.

She's Licketysplit isn't the only seriously talented New Zealand three-year-old chasing feature-race glory in Australia today, as in Sydney, the Rogerson-trained Sharp N Smart is second favourite for the delayed A$500,000 Gloaming Stakes.

The Group 3 was to have been held at Randwick last Saturday until the last four races there were postponed when the track turned into a bog.

The smaller Warwick Farm track probably doesn't suit the big-finishing Sharp N Smart quite as well but he was brave winning fresh up at Ruakaka this campaign, beating now NZ 2000 Guineas favourite Cognito and his talent was clear during his luckless Queensland campaign.

He has barrier two and star jockey Hugh Bowman in a race reduced to 10 starters, with nine scratchings, so he gives New Zealand a realistic shot as a black type double between Victoria and New South Wales, something which has probably never happened on a Wednesday before.

Today will also see the fields for the Livamol at Hastings on Saturday and the Caulfield Cup in Melbourne declared, while in Sydney on Saturday, the A$15m Everest, the richest turf race in the world, is run.