The Warra wasn’t always the primary target for Catch The Glory, but provided the weather cooperates, the Group Three sprint is shaping as a worthwhile opportunity for the up-and-coming mare.
Trainer Jason Coyle initially identified next week’s Starlight Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill as her likely kick-off point, but he also opted to nominate her for this weekend’s The Warra (1000m).
“She did all her racing at Rosehill last preparation over the 1100, so the Starlight Stakes over 1100, a Listed race, looked ideal,” Coyle said.
“But when we nominated for Saturday, the nominations didn’t come up as strong or as many as I thought, so we accepted.
“We will wait until Saturday morning to decide whether to play our cards or not.”
The predicted conditions are another key consideration.
Coyle wants a firmer track for Catch The Glory, and with storms and showers forecast, the Kembla Grange surface will heavily influence whether she runs.
Should she take her place, she will be chasing her first stakes victory, having already notched a metropolitan Saturday win at Rosehill in August, her best success so far.
She has dipped into black-type company previously, including a narrow fourth behind Enriched in the Listed Fireball Quality (1100m), and she performed soundly in the July Sprint (1100m) despite limited luck.
Coyle is confident she is ready for another step up.
“She has always shown that capability to work through the grades and possibly get to the higher level,” Coyle said.
“Last preparation proved she could do that. She was first-up in an open handicap and should have finished much closer, so the leap from what she was racing to the race on Saturday – or Saturday week – is a natural progression for her.”
Coyle is also hopeful President will rebound in the ABAX Civil Handicap (1200m), favouring a firmer surface after a tough run when unplaced at Randwick.
“Base his form off his solid win at Hawkesbury and put a line through his last run,” he said.
“He didn’t jump cleanly, and it forced him to go forward on a wide path and he fell in a hole late on a track that he didn’t enjoy either.”
