New Plymouth owner-trainer Warren Bolton is keeping his excitement in check over his talented filly I Am Poppy.
"The great Irish poet W. B. Yeats said 'tread softly because you may tread on my dreams' and that's my attitude to racing - you can't get carried away," he said.
Boltonis happy to take a quiet short-term approach with I Am Poppy, whose form took on greater significance at the weekend.
The daughter of I Am Invincible has won her last two starts with ease and in her most recent success at Te Rapa she trounced Lasarla, who came out and comfortably accounted for a competitive line-up of mares in the group two Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes.
"She does go well and she'll run at Whanganui on Saturday in a Rating 75 over 1320 metres," Bolton said.
I Am Poppy has also been nominated for the Telegraph at Trentham and Bolton is keen to give the three-year-old her chance in the January 21 feature.
"It's tough for a filly, but I'd like to take advantage of the conditions under the set weights and penalties," he said. "There's a long way to go yet though and she would have to win at least another two races."
I Am Poppy is one of three horses Bolton has in work with Grace Invader, a Duporth filly with placings from both her starts, to also run at Whanganui while an unraced juvenile completes the team.
