Five-year-old mare Sino Eagle’s consistency has forced trainer Peter Moody to start her in the Group Three Aurie’s Star Handicap at Flemington.
Sino Eagle scored a dominant first-up win at Caulfield on July 26 with that success, the mare’s fifth in town, making Moody’s task of placing her even tougher.
Sino Eagle was Group Three-placed last season but Moody will attempt to boost the five-year-old’s residual value with her maiden stakes win on Saturday.
“What do you do with a mare like that? You have got to chase black type,” Moody said.
“She’s come off her first-up run well but she’s got a bit of black type so we have got to build on it.
The Aurie’s Star Handicap has proven elusive for mares with the males claiming all nine runnings of the event since the race was elevated to stakes status in 2005.
Linda Meech will partner Sino Eagle again after guiding the Casino Prince mare to her first-up victory.
Sino Eagle will clash with the two previous winners of the Aurie’s Star Handicap with Shanghai Warrior and Broken both among the 13 acceptors for the $150,000 race.
The Darren Weir-trained Broken has struggled to find his best form this time in and beat only one runner home last Saturday at Moonee Valley while Shanghai Warrior has produced solid placings at each of his three runs back from a lengthy injury break.
Import Crackerjack King will make his Australian debut in the race after trainers David Hayes and Tom Dabernig made a late entry for him on Tuesday.
Dabernig said Crackerjack King was set to resume at Caulfield on Saturday week but the inability to find a suitable track for an exhibition gallop prompted the Lindsay Park team to bring forward the Group One winner’s Australian debut.
“He can now have an old-style preparation with a first-up run in the Aurie’s Star,” Dabernig said.
“Many good horses have started their campaigns in the race in the past.”