The Lindsay Park stable are considering a seven day back-up into next weekend’s 2018 Champagne Stakes at elite level for progressive filly Futooh after she relished the step-up to a mile at Randwick to win the first on Day 2 of ‘The Championships’.

Saturday week’s Group 1 Champagne Stakes 2018 could be on the cards for the Lindsay Park-trained filly Futooh. Photo: Steve Hart.

Formerly known as the Fernhill Handicap for the young two-year-old milers, this year’s Listed $150,000 China Horse Club Mile (1600m) kicked off the card and saw an all-Lindsay Park quinella for the David Hayes-led stable.

Coming with a nice late sprint down the inside, the winner was Sebring filly Futooh ($8) given a peach of a ride by the in-form Jason Collett.

Collett was patient aboard the untapped chestnut whose two latest runs were luckless producing an eighth to Sunlight in the Group 3 Magic Night Stakes (1200m) and 11^th in the Group 3 Baillieu Handicap (1400m) when ridden by Kerrin McEvoy and Michael Walker respectively.

Having gotten too far back in those races, today Collett had her settled off the pace set by the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Bold Arial but managed to duck back to the inside late to salute.

“She began to carry me into the race and I was pretty confident turning for home,” Collett said post-win.

“She’s lovely. She’s got a fair bit of length to her.”

She ran down stablemate Muswellbrook ($9) by a long neck, the son of Denham having his black-type debut off a Mornington win over 1500m on March 24.

In a photo for third to round out the trifecta was the beaten favourite Aristocratic Miss ($5), Tony McEvoy’s Group 1 performed Foxwedge filly a late drifter on track.

Aristocratic Miss was the last out of the gates and settled right back towards the tail-end of the field with Muswellbrook the only one of the eventual first three to finish settled on speed.

He travelled along in fourth and then third on the fence before moving to the equal lead on the straight with Aristocratic Miss before the quick sprint by Futooh put them to bed.

Co-trainer Ben Hayes said that should Futooh pull up well, she could race back at Randwick on April 21 in the Group 1 $500,000 Champagne Stakes (1600m) chasing the double last completed by Prized Icon (2016).

“We were a little bit critical of the ride a couple of weeks ago…today Jason was excellent, he rode her that 10 percent negative from the barrier and she had that turn of foot so really exciting,” Hayes said.

“We have always had an opinion of her and it is just nice to see her once she gets out to a mile running so well.

“We will see how she pulls up. There’s the option of backing up [in the Champagne Stakes] but we’ll let her tell us.”

To back Futooh next race and to access the best of the remaining autumn Group 1 racing odds head to Ladbrokes.com.au today.

2018 China Horse Club Mile Results & Finishing Order

Randwick Race 1 – 14/04/2018