In-form mare Iden Miss Lucy will be looking to complete a winning hat-trick when she lines up in the inaugural running of the $12,000 Leis Fillies and Mares event, which is the feature race on the 10-race card in Launceston on Sunday night.
The series, which also includes the King, and the Meeker, recognises the significant contribution to the state’s breeding industry by Trevor Leis, Stephen King and the late Art Meeker.
Iden Miss Lucy is the highest mare in the field with a national rating of 66, owing to her brilliant form this season which includes five wins, with her trainer Christian Salter pleased with her recent efforts.
“She has really kicked on the last couple of months, she had a couple of moderate performances, but the last couple of weeks especially, we have been really pleased with her.
“We just found a couple of issues which have sort of been the key with her, and we can only keep on doing what we are doing,” Salter explained.
Despite her tough run in Hobart last week where she worked forward from a wide draw to race outside the leader during the first half a lap, the trainer is happy with how the daughter of Stonebridge Regal has come through the run, although he does have one concern in Sunday night’s race, where she has drawn outside of the front line.
“She has continued to eat really well, and she seems really bright, I suppose a lot of them do that. The only thing with her is that she is going to end up doing a bit of work again, which may leave her a sitting duck I guess,” he said.
That concern will be passed onto reinsman Mark Yole, although his not overloaded with instructions from the Brighton-based trainer.
“I just hand him the reins and tell him to have a bit of fun, and he can do whatever he likes,” Salter said.
The race also sees the return of Mays Place, who won four races last season, with the filly not being seen since finishing second in the Group 2 Evicus in October and is a recent Carrick Park trial winner.
