Racing: Tactics to wait for last minute

New Zealand trainer Stephen Crutchley is taking no chances with his first Australian runner, Mi Jubilee, in today's A$125,000 Silver Shadow Stakes at Randwick.
Crutchley knows the brilliant Mi Jubilee is up against it, facing one of the best fields of fillies carded in Sydney in recent years.

But he is determined to give Mi Jubilee the best possible chance and that includes deciding on race tactics himself, rather than allowing former New Zealand jockey Larry Cassidy a free hand in what will be his first ride on the Kiwi speedster.

To ensure those tactics are clear in Cassidy's mind, Crutchley will advise his rider as he legs him into the saddle in the Randwick mounting yard.

"I've already spoken to Larry to discover what he's thinking," said Crutchley yesterday.

"Talking to jockeys here is totally different from discussing tactics at home - they seem to get ideas set in their heads here."

The main tactic will concern what to do about the mid-field No 7 barrier draw. Sydney races are run in a totally different way to what Mi Jubilee has been used to at home, with blinding speed for the first 400m being the norm.

That leaves Crutchley the problem of whether he asks for Mi Jubilee to be sent forward to attack the speed, or to sit off it and hope for a late run at the leaders.

Mi Jubilee is capable of brilliance, but it is likely she will be looking for a cosy run behind the lead.

"She's got pretty ordinary gate speed, but she gets into gear very quickly after that with good acceleration.

The favourite, the Gai Waterhouse-trained Fashions Afield, has drawn outside the New Zealander at No 9 and Crutchley expects the Sydney filly to cross the field early in search of the lead.

He is careful not to make too much of the bad press Fashions Afield copped after being beaten into second in a recent barrier trial.

"She was beaten by a pretty good type in Lotteria in 49.5, which is good time for 850m."

It is a hot field, which leaves Crutchley hoping the leaders will go a fraction slower than normal because the riders will be watching each other closely.

"If they sit and wait and leave it to the last bit to press the button, then Mi Jubilee will be right in it, because she can really take off at the end when races are run like that."

Crutchley concedes his filly will be sharper for the second race of her Sydney campaign, but says she is as fit as he'd hoped to have her for her Australian debut.

"I'm always a bit worried about her first start because when she's not quite ready, she can be found wanting in the last bit of her races. It's a totally different story when she's properly fit.

"It's been good because the tracks are generally firm here and you can do plenty of work on them."