Donna Logan today attempts something she always swore couldn't be done - beat the Aussie sprinters with one of our horses.
Logan has class act filly Jazzella down to make her Australian debut at Rosehill this afternoon.
The Ruakaka trainer has a wonderful record of winning races atAustralian carnivals in the last few years, but always with stayers.
"I've always believed the New Zealand stayers were at least as good and probably better than most Australian stayers, but I've always maintained we can't beat their sprinters and here I am with one of ours trying to do it."
The brief trip is not just about winning - it's actually more about getting Jazzella used to travelling.
Horses grow up mentally and improve greatly after their first trip away and the Logan/Gibbs stable figured this trip to Sydney was a better test case than the planned campaign for big money at the Queensland winter carnival.
"It was either put her on a float [from Ruakaka] to Trentham, which is a 12-hour trip, or fly her to Sydney, which takes three hours.
"She'll grow up a lot from this trip, it will be the makings of her and a great build-up to Brisbane."
Jazzella has been entered for the A$100,000 ($113,000) Darby Munro Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, and the fillies and mares A$100,000 Cleanevent Stakes, both over 1200m.
Logan said she was fairly sure the classy filly would take on the Darby Munro, run early in the programme
"Two things, they've forecast thunderstorms for the afternoon and she's drawn gate No 4 in the last race, which I'm not sure would be the place to be if they get storms.
"And it's probably a good idea to keep her to her own age at this stage."
* Greg Childs has accepted the ride on Mettre En Jeu in the A$2 million AJC Derby on April 7. With Lisa Cropp in the saddle Mettre En Jeu finished second to Redoute's Dancer in the Mercedes Derby at Ellerslie.
