Ladies In Red Photo by Stuart McCormick
PREMIER trainer Emma Stewart is confident she has the quality, not just the quantity, to win Saturday night's stellar $250,000 Nutrien 2YO colts and geldings final at Melton.
Stewart and co-trainer Clayton Tonkin have long been the dominant training force in Australia, especially with juveniles, and they flexed their muscle again with five of the 12 finalists.
"They're all nice horses," Stewart said.
"We think it's one of the strongest crops of two-year-old 'boys' we've ever had."
"Trying to sort them out is hard. The Highlight Reel (gate seven), Apollostorm (nine) and Cigano (11) would be the best three, but none have drawn very well. Storms Collide isn't that far behind and he's fared a bit better in barrier five. Even Wazza isn't that far off them, and he's drawn inside the back row (eight)."
"It's really hard to split them, especially the way the draws have fallen."|
"It's great to have numbers, but they're all nice young horses, too."
"I know there's a couple of goods from interstate (Fate Awaits from Queensland and Its Confidential qualified in a Menangle heat), but they'll need to be good to beat ours."
Stewart is also confident of success in the $250,000 2YO fillies final despite having just the two runners, Iveseenheavenslight (gate six) and Miss Australiana (10).
"If Miss Australiana had drawn better, it would've been hers for the taking, but now, from 10, she'll need a bit of luck. But I really like her … a lot," she said.
Stewart and Tonkin's "lock" for the night could be big, raw three-year-old Bay Of Biscay in his $150,000 Nutrien final.
"It looks like a terrific race for him. He was terrific (when second) in the NSW Derby last start, and he's thrived since coming home," Stewart said.
Almost $1.3 million in prize money is up for grabs across the ten races at Saturday night's Nutrien night at Melton.
In other stable news, champion mare Ladies In Red was this week, invited to the $200,000 Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Mile at Menangle on May 4.
"It's great news, and he certainly deserves it. It means she goes straight into the race rather than having to go through a qualifying race at Menangle like most of the others," Stewart said.
"We were thrilled with her win at Melton last Saturday. She's at least as good, maybe even a bit better than she's ever been."
Stewart said Ladies In Red, who boasts 25 wins from just 32 starts and over $1 million in prize money, is likely to be retired later this year.
"She's got Sydney and then probably a couple of races in the Queensland winter, and then I think that'll be it. She's had an amazing career," she said.
Stewart is hoping to have several runners in the Queen Elizabeth.
"We've got Soho Historia trying to qualify in the Sibelia at Menangle this Saturday night, and then Treachery, Major Delight and Fiamma will go to the other qualifier the week after," she said.
· Adam Hamilton is a paid contributor writing on harness racing for News Corp.
