Tom Dabernig continued his stellar summer season with two-year-old filly Cavalry Girl, who triumphed in the VRC Punters Club Sprint (1000m) as the $3.80 favorite under jockey Linda Meech.
After a brave debut where she finished second to Cherish Me in the Geelong Diamond, Cavalry Girl’s race experience shone through in a field featuring six debutants. She handled her less-experienced rivals with ease, kicking clear to win by 1-1/2 lengths over Sword Of Legacy ($7.50), with Autumn Mystery ($41) finishing 1-3/4 lengths further back in third.
While the Group 1 Blue Diamond (1200m) is a natural target for the daughter of Bivouac, Dabernig highlighted another lucrative opportunity due to her Inglis background.
“She’s an Inglis graduate, so she’s eligible for the two-million-dollar Inglis Millennium in early February, which is on the radar if she pulls up okay, and she is in the Blue Diamond as well,” Dabernig said. “We’ve got a little bit to think about. Obviously, it all depends on her and how she comes through the run.”
Dabernig, who has notched 13 winners from his last 50 runners, praised Cavalry Girl’s professionalism.
“She’s always been a very professional filly. She was well found by Joe O’Neill, who’s a great judge, and his record speaks for itself,” Dabernig said.
“In her first run, I think we ran into a reasonably smart one in Ciaron Maher’s winner, but she did everything pretty right. Then today, mid-race, there was a bit of shuffling of positions, but it didn’t put her off her game.”
Cavalry Girl showed her ability to accelerate and win convincingly. Dabernig added, “She was able to accelerate and win quite softly. I thought Linda rode her very confidently.”
Cavalry Girl debuted over 1100m, where she was overrun late. She dropped back to 1000m at Flemington, but Dabernig is optimistic she can handle the increased pressure of 1200m if she pursues a Blue Diamond campaign.
“She’s got very good speed. That’s probably still a little unknown, but at this stage, she’s got great recovery, good lungs, and she did that quite comfortably,” Dabernig said.
