“She was very tough that night but when you look at her you can see she is still maturing,” says Reid.
“She has come a really long way in the last three months but from barrier six this week I don’t know if the best thing is to go forward and drive her like a good filly or look after her early knowing she has so much more in front of her.
“So I will leave it up to Matty. If she feels good behind the gate [mobile starting arm] then he might roll forward as she was so brave last start.
“But that also depends on what the ones inside him are doing and you can only judge that out on the track.”
As good as Coastal Babe was winning at Cambridge, third-placed Kiss was enormous after being three wide for the last lap and she might be the best of the fillies at this very early stage.
She looks a real stayer who will appreciate the step up to 2200m tonight.
The race buries the nonsense notion of “visitor’s draws” as the three Canterbury fillies have drawn the inside three barrier draws with Treacherous Baby perhaps the best placed to take advantage.
She lost ground on the bend against a smart male juvenile in Vessem on debut but came again late for fourth and showed enough gate speed to suggest she can use the ace draw tonight.
The Group 1 is the richest race of the night but the Spring Cup boasts the biggest names as Copy That tries to put his New Zealand Cup defence back on track after a shock defeat to Hooray Henry here last Thursday.
His trainer Ray Green had warned punters the $2 million earner was “podgy” going into last week’s race but he was beaten fair and square and tonight gives Hooray Henry and his other rivals a 20m start over 2200m.
The small field should ensure he gets his chance. But an interesting newcomer is Nicholas Cage, a powerful front runner who has beaten Copy That and Akuta when leading them in a sprint race at Alexandra Park so will be hard to catch if he begins quickly in his first standing start.
