Mark Kavanagh’s exciting young filly Atlantic Jewel is approaching odds-on territory in the 2011 Thousand Guineas futures markets after extending her undefeated career record to three wins from three starts at Caulfield’s Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes Day on the weekend.
Undefeated filly Atlantic Jewel is favourite for both the Thousand Guineas and Crown Oaks 2011
A beautifully bred daughter of Fastnet Rock from Zabeel mare Regard, three-year-old Atlantic Jewel produced another head-spinning performance on Saturday this time defeating Michael Kent’s Our Miss Jones by two and three quarter lengths in the $70,000 BMW Handicap (1400m) in her Caulfield race debut.
Jockey Damien Oliver, replacing the suspended Michael Rodd, was pleased with Atlantic Jewel’s winning run that saw her show off her ability to quicken late and off a solid pace.
“She will improve but she doesn’t have to get much better,” Rodd said.
Atlantic Jewel may have only defeated a B-Grade field of fellow three-year-old fillies, but what made her effortless 1400 metre success so scintillating was her sectional times.
Atlantic Jewel’s final 400 metres was done in a blistering 21.95 seconds, a formidable figure that was faster than both Helmet’s 400m sectional when winning the Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) and Smart Missile’s in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes.
Prior to her Caulfield success, the exciting Atlantic Jewel was rated a $4.60 chance in the Luxbet odds for the $500,000 Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) on October 12.
She has since tightened in the Thousand Guineas odds to a short quote of $2.
The other single-figure Thousand Guineas hopefuls at this stage are Peter Moody’s ultra consistent Hallowell Belle ($6.50), the Robert Smerdon-trained Mosheen ($7) and Celebrity Girl ($7.50).
Starcraft filly Celebrity Girl is also from the stables of Kavanagh and was undefeated prior to her official fourth place finish in the controversial Group 3 Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) on September 17.
Kavanagh has scheduled this Sunday’s $250,000 Group 2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Turnbull Stakes Day as the next-up run for Celebrity Girl.
Atlantic Jewel will now likely go straight to the Thousand Guineas, Kavanagh hoping to see the slight filly fill out a little before the elite level assignment.
“If she keeps improving in herself she might go to the Thousand Guineas without another run,” Kavanagh said of Atlantic Jewel.
“She gives us a pretty good feel and we are very, very excited at this stage.
“She hasn’t raced in any black-type races and hasn’t raced against the best three-year-old fillies at this carnival yet but it will be interesting when she does.
“We have to keep a bit of a lid on it but I rate her up there.”
Atlantic Jewel is also nominated for the $1 million Group 1 VRC Crown Oaks (2500m) at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup Carnival in November and is the dominant $3.50 favourite in the Luxbet Crown Oaks odds.
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