The premier trainer of two-year-olds for the year, Peter Snowden hopes to confirm Spring Carnival aspirations for his emerging filly Euryale as she takes on the boys at Flemington this Saturday including a younger brother of dual Cox Plate winner So You Think.
Well-bred Lonhro filly out of Fusaichi Pegasus (Group 1 Flight Stakes winner) mare Meduesa, Euryale is out to maintain her unbeaten record after she won the New Litho Handicap (1200m) on debut at Sandown on April 13 against her own sex.
This Saturday she will take her spot in an open field for the first time racing in the $70,000 SecondBite Plate (1400m).
Eurayale is the $7 third favourite behind the Danny O’Brien-trained Cranbourne winner The New Boy ($4.60) coming off a close second to City Of Song in the Listed Blue Sapphire Stakes (1200m) and the Lee Freedman-trained Lonhro colt Spatha ($5.50).
“I would say that she will be stakes class in the spring for sure,” Darley’s Melbourne foreman Paul Snowden said of Euryale.
In landing her debut race Euryale was able to beat home Choisir filly and subsequent Caulfield winner Manhattan Maid by three quarters of a length.
The Darren Weir-trained Manhattan Maid is currently the $4 favourite to take out the $100,000 Listed Dequetteville Stakes (1100m) at Morphettville’s Super Sunday of Racing this weekend.
On Saturday Euryale will also step up from 1200m to 1400m.
“The 1400 metres is definitely going to suit her a lot better,” Snowden said.
“We will know a lot more about her after Saturday and then maybe map out a plan (for the spring).
“At this time of the year you are really planning for the next preparation because there is not much to aim at right now.
“You have got to take into account how long to give them off and how long you are going to need to get them back.”
While O’Brien prepares favourite The New Boy, he is also keen to see how unraced Elusive City colt Now You Know goes on their highly-spruiked debut and determine if he got a bargain buy on the half-brother to So You Think.
Purchased for $260,000 at the New Zealand Karaka Sale, Now You Know shares the same dam, Trisassic, as the now Irish-trained So You Think and O’Brien will get a good indication on Saturday whether the juvenile has the same potential as his superstar older sibling.
Now You Know is rated an $8 chance in the SecondBite on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Snowden will also be represented in the race by Lonhro colt Burnout ($10), the 58kg topweight of the field having won at Caulfield earlier in the month before their last-start seventh to Raffles Pegasus in the Listed Anzac Day Stakes (1410m) at Flemington.
“He’s a big dumb kid and won’t run unless the track is decent enough,” Snowden said of Burnout.
“He loses a leg if it is wet and if it looks like the track is going to chop out like it did last time (when seventh on Anzac Day) then he will just go to the paddock.”
