Unbeaten filly Smart Melody is humming along nicely as she steps up to Group 1 company for the first time in the $500,000 Schweppes Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Smart Melody, above, is the favourite for the 2018 Thousand Guineas at Caulfield. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Smart Melody is the winner of all her five race starts and trainer Kris Lees said that the Smart Missile filly has come through her last start win in the Group 2 $200,000 Schweppes Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) at Caulfield on September 30 in great shape.
“I think she has come on the right way,” Lees told AAP.
“She seems to have taken no harm out of that 1400-metre run last start and she has progressed nicely.
“She seemed to work well on Tuesday so I’m as confident as we can be without having seen her at the trip.
“She can get herself a little worked up in the pre-parade but under saddle she is relaxing really well and always has.”
Lees is happy that Smart Melody drew in close at barrier two in the fifteen horse Thousand Guineas field and expects jockey James McDonald will give her every chance to run out the 1600m at her first attempt at the distance.
“I think that was vital to her chances, drawing a soft barrier,” Lees said.
Lees will also saddle up recent stable acquisition El Dorado Dreaming who will jump from barrier seven with Damian Lane in the saddle.
El Dorado Dreaming has had one run for the Lees stable and produced her customary late finish from back in the field to fill third spot behind Smart Melody in the Thousand Guineas Prelude.
El Dorado Dreaming has already tasted success at Group 1 level as a two year old when she stormed home at $81 to win the $1m Inglis Sires’ (1400m) at Randwick during the 2018 Sydney Autumn Carnival and then produced a similar effort when third to Seabrook in the Group 1 $500,000 Moet & Chandon Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Randwick two weeks later.
Lees said that there is not much between the two fillies but he is slightly leaning towards Smart Melody who is the firm $2.80 favourite for the Thousand Guineas at Ladbrokes.com.au while El Dorado Dreaming is marked at $7.
