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Exciting filly Over The Bridge maintained her unbeaten record and announced herself as one of the emerging stars of the three-year-old fillies ranks with a gritty victory in Sunday’s Group 3 $200,000 Scarborough Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on Manikato Stakes Day.
The success completed a feature-race double for the powerful combination of Ciaron Maher and Mark Zahra, who had earlier teamed up to win the JRA Cup with Caulfield Cup hopeful Royal Supremacy on the same program.
Sent out the $2.90 favourite, Over The Bridge stepped sharply up in class after breaking her maiden at Bendigo on debut, but the daughter of Toronado showed she belonged at black-type level, digging deep in the closing stages to defeat I Am Aria ($31) by a head. Scintillation ($7) filled third, another three-quarters of a length away.
The unbeaten filly stopped the clock in 1:09.17, extending her perfect career record to two wins from two starts and further enhancing her growing reputation.
Maher Impressed by Rapid Rise
Maher admitted after the race that he was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the promising filly has developed, especially given she was only having her second race start.
“It’s fantastic. One, to get a win for the boys and two, for Unbridled,” he told the media post-victory.
“Adam and the whole team have put a lot of effort into getting the business off the ground.
“To have a horse like this, she’s put the writing on the wall but that was pretty good today.”
The leading trainer revealed he had initially thought the market may have overreacted to her maiden win but was forced to concede punters had judged her correctly.
“To win a race like that second-up and I knew she was a bit raw,” Maher said.
“As Zach (Merrett) said, I put the cold water on on Monday. I thought she was way unders what she should be, but the market had it right and her future is very bright.
“She’s got it all ahead of her.”
Maher also praised Zahra for extracting the best from the filly when challengers arrived in the straight.
“Mark needed to pull out his best there,” he said.
“I thought we were going to get rolled halfway down the straight.
“He’s a master, he’s fantastic.”
Thousand Guineas Possibility Emerges
Despite the impressive win, Maher stopped short of committing the youngster to an ambitious Group 1 campaign this spring.
The Group 1 $1.5 million Thousand Guineas (1600m) back at the track on Caulfield Cup Day, October 17, looms as an obvious target, but the trainer remains mindful of her inexperience.
“Dunno,” Maher said when asked what comes next.
“That was a fair target raising the bar off the maiden.
“I wouldn’t think we could get all the way to the top on her first prep, but we’ll see.
“I’m sure she’ll rate very well. We’ll take our time. She’s very bright.”
While Maher is taking a cautious approach, bookmakers are wasting little time elevating her among the leading Thousand Guineas hopes.
Zahra Sees Plenty of Improvement
Winning rider Zahra believes the filly is still learning her craft and suggested her best racing will come once she steps up in trip.
“She’s pretty good, isn’t she,” he said.
“For her second start to do that, and it was a real challenge there at the 150 for her to pick up.”
The champion jockey was particularly impressed by how strongly she responded when placed under pressure.
“She had a crack the last bit. Strong,” he added.
“It was a good win.”
Zahra explained that race circumstances forced him to settle wider than planned but felt the filly’s natural ability carried her through.
“Early on there was a bit of bustle and going to the rail where it is, no one wants to be there so I was happy to be out wide,” he said.
“They quickened up really good and that got me off the bridle.”
Importantly for future assignments, Zahra is convinced additional distance will suit.
“The further they go, the more she can relax and she’ll be stronger at the end,” he said.
“She’s still new but she’s got such a good turn of foot that all good horses have which can get you out of trouble.
“She’s getting there but she’s still new and she’s only going to get better.”
Market Moves for Thousand Guineas
The Scarborough Stakes victory produced one of the biggest market moves of the weekend in the three-year-old filly ranks.
Traders at Ladbrokes reacted quickly by slashing Over The Bridge’s 2026 Thousand Guineas odds from $26 into $5, promoting her to outright second favourite in futures betting behind only Regal Ambition ($4).
Thousand Guineas 2026 Odds
| 1. Regal Ambition | ||
| 2. Over The Bridge | ||
| 3. Pretty Baby | ||
| 4. Global Goal | ||
| 5. Lara Antipova |
For a filly who had entered the race with just a maiden win to her name, the move reflects the enormous impression she made in overcoming her inexperience and winning at Group level.
Whether connections press on towards the Thousand Guineas this preparation remains to be seen, but one thing is clear after Sunday’s performance: Over The Bridge has rapidly emerged as one of the most exciting fillies of the spring, and her rise through the grades may only just be beginning.
