“She’s the only three-year-old in it, and she will get in with 53.5kgs at weight-for-age. The form that our three-year-old fillies have shown this season is half the reason we’re going for this race.”
The Travis will be Sakura Girl’s first race since she finished sixth in the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) behind Pennyweka on March 18.
Sakura Girl started favourite for the Oaks after leading all the way to win the Gr.3 Sunline Vase (2100m) at Te Rapa on good ground, but went too strong a pace when trying the same tactics in the Oaks on soft ground and didn’t have enough gas in the tank down the straight.
“That certainly wasn’t the plan,” Foote said. “I was pretty disappointed the way things panned out, but you can’t do much about it now. She’s always been a good doing horse and she’s done well since that race.”
Foote gave Sakura Girl a short break after the New Zealand Oaks, and she reappeared in an 1150m trial at Te Awamutu on Monday. She finished second to the good three-year-old Devastate without being asked for her best by premiership-leading rider Michael McNab, who will ride the filly in the Travis.
“Michael was very happy with the trial and because Kozzi Asano had been booked for another horse in the Travis, I booked Michael,” Foote said.
“The way Michael’s riding at the moment it’s no bad thing to have him aboard.”
Foote said the way Sakura Girl recovers from the Travis will decide whether she is sent across the Tasman early and uses the Gr.2 Roses (2000m) at Doomben on May 20 as a lead-up, or whether she goes straight into the Queensland Oaks without another run.
“More than likely she would run in the Roses, but there’s only one direct flight to Queensland on the 18th or 19th of May, which is obviously too late, so she would have to go to Sydney and then be floated up, possibly as early as next week,” Foote said.
“But we’re not firm on that decision as yet. If we decide to go direct into the Oaks, she’d take the direct flight to Queensland instead.”
– NZ Racing Desk
