After spending the past year and a half on the sidelines due to injury, Mark Kavanagh’s dual Group 1 winner Atlantic Jewel is scheduled to have her first major trial at Flemington this Friday morning ahead of a Cox Plate 2013 spring campaign.
Atlantic Jewel's Friday jump-out will determine her first-up run in 18 months. Photo: Steve Hart.
Last week the now five-year-old Fastnet Rock mare’s trainer announced that he wouldn’t rush the return of Atlantic Jewel who’s first-up run had been pushed back from the Group 3 Cockram Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on August 17 to the Group 2 Let’s Elope Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on September 7.
All decisions made by Kavanagh and connections have been guided by the progress of the mare and it will be the same after her jump-out at the end of the week which could again alter her resuming target.
“She’ll have a jumpout on Friday and that’ll give us a good indication of how forward she is,” Kavanagh told Racing Victoria.
“It’s 18 months since she raced, so we’ve got to adopt a wait-and-see attitude with her.
“We won’t be giving her a gut-buster.
“We’ll certainly be having a good look at her and then make a decision from there.”
Another first-up option aside from the Cockram and the Let’s Elope Stakes is also the $350,000 Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) held in between at Caulfield on August 31.
Undefeated having won all seven of her career starts during the 2011 – 12 racing season, Atlantic Jewel was last seen beating home Rain Affair to win last year’s Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1400m).
She suffered a nearly career-ending tendon injury after that however as she prepared for a spring comeback that would have seen her a top contender in the $3 million Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m).
Kavanagh again has Cox Plate ambitions for Atlantic Jewel who was one of 158 Cox Plate 2013 nominations taken by Racing Victoria on Tuesday ahead of the weight-for-age classic at Moonee Valley on October 26.
It’s still a long way between now and Cox Plate Day however and Kavanagh certainly doesn’t want to push things having worked so hard to get Atlantic Jewel back to the races.
“She has been around the place, in work, since early April, but she’s had a rest in between,” Kavanagh said.
“It’s hard to asses when you get a horse like that that hasn’t raced for 18 months.
“We’ve just got to wait and see. These horses need to be nursed back and 18 months off gives you an indication that they’re going to be vulnerable first-up if they’re not quite right, so we won’t be running her unless she’s absolutely right.”
The bookies meanwhile are taking no chances and have her installed as the $7 co-second elect in their latest bookmaker.com.au.
Betting is led by four-time Group 1 winning Kiwi raider It’s A Dundeel ($4.60) while Kavanagh’s Australian Cup winner Super Cool is on the same line as stablemate Atlantic Jewel at $7.
Super Cool is also a chance to resume in the 2013 Memsie Stakes at the end of the month and will make a Friday morning appearance as well.
“He’s furnished out and he’s matured nicely,” Kavanagh said.
“He’s just going to tell us on the way where we should put him, but he could be running at the end of the month in the Memsie.”
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