Sophies Ideal (right) will race at Menangle this Saturday night.
Avenel trainer Wayne Potter will have one of several live Victorian chances on Saturday’s supercharged Miracle Mile night program at Menangle, New South Wales.
The Victorian charge is led by Emma Stewart and her stable star Guaranteed, who will start as one of the key players in the $750,000 Miracle Mile.
But if her form lines hold up, Potter’s talented mare Sophies Ideal has to be a huge show in the C-Lite Robin Dundee Stakes over 1609m.
Sophies Ideal beat Beauty Secret in the Tailamade Lombo at Melton two starts back in 1:53.5 before Beauty Secret went to Sydney and looked impressive winning the Ladyship Pace by over 3m in 1:52.4.
Beauty Secret beat Rathmore Lady and Zenable home in that race and both those mares won at Menangle last Saturday night, while the horse who ran last in the Ladyship, Caribbean Rose, was too strong in a C3-C5 at Menangle last Friday night.
“She’s a good each-way chance if they run the race to suit,” Potter said.
Sophies Ideal is proven at Menangle, winning five straight races there earlier this year with Darren Hancock – who reunites with the mare on Saturday night – in the gig.
It’s handy for a Victorian to A) go well at Menangle and B) have a reinsman who knows the horse back to front in control.
“She handles Menangle and she’s better suited to this type of distance rather than the longer races,” Potter said.
Sophies Ideal ran second to Uncle Wingnut last time out over 2240m in 1:58.0.
“He grows a leg when he’s allowed to lead like that and he’s a pretty handy horse,” Potter said of Uncle Wingnut.
“We had our chance but he was too strong. The distance of that race didn’t suit her as much as the shorter trips.”
Potter believes the Victorian mares are the ones to beat in the $50,000 Group 2 race on Saturday night, with Beauty Secret from the Stewart stable drawn nine for Gavin Lang, Michael Stanley trained and driven Blucolla Tigerpie in 12 and Amanda Grieve’s flying mare Tandias Bromac in gate 11 for Chris Alford.
Stewart looks set to have a huge night with loads of live chances – including the brilliant Restrepo first-up in the Group 2 Kevin Newman Cup, rising star Yankee Rockstar in the Group 2 SEW Keeps You Moving Mount Eden 4YO Championship and Philadelphia Man second-up in the Sky Racing Carnival of Miracles Stakes over 1609m.
Stanley will line up Big Spending Telf in the SEW Driving The World Chokin 3YO Championship over 1609m, the pacer an impressive last-start winner at Menangle.
Another leading Victorian trainer in David Aiken meanwhile will take Composed, Cold Major and Real Bonus to Menangle.
