Trainer John Macmillan has always harboured a fondness for Affaire Vue since the day he purchased her as a yearling.
Macmillan paid $100,000 for the daughter of Dundeel at the 2023 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, with aspirations of achieving success in major races.
While these dreams are yet to be realised, the now five-year-old mare is aiming for a winning hat-trick when she competes in the Aceit Transport Solutions Handicap (1522m) at Morphettville on Saturday.
Affaire Vue began her winning streak with a victory at Bordertown on September 11 and followed it up with a win at Gawler 12 days later, her fourth victory from 19 starts.
Macmillan commented that the mare’s ability has always been evident, but it is only now beginning to surface.
When asked if he had ever anticipated her reaching a point where she could win three races consecutively, Macmillan replied, ‘I did when I bought her’.
‘But she has been disappointing, mostly from greenness,’ he explained. ‘She has a few minor soundness issues, but I paid $100,000 for her because I liked her. Her trackwork gave no cause for regret, but her performances in races and her work have not correlated. She has been extremely frustrating, showing more in trackwork than she has demonstrated in races.’
Macmillan stated that age and maturity have finally enabled Affaire Vue to display her capabilities.
‘She’s now doing the right thing,’ Macmillan said. ‘In her early races she would duck from one side to the other and be all over the shop and not know how to put them away. The large Morphettville track will suit her. The only negative aspect is the wide barrier, but we have secured Todd Pannell to hopefully mitigate that.’
Macmillan will also be entering Ilustrious Warrior into the Spring Carnival at Morphettville Handicap (1200m) on Saturday. Similar to his stablemate, Ilustrious Warrior struggles to finish off his races strongly.
Ilustrious Warrior won at Bordertown and then finished fourth at Gawler in his most recent outing. ‘He’s a bit like his stablemate as he’s shown more in trackwork than in his races,’ Macmillan observed. ‘He’s still a bit green and probably should have won at Gawler, but Todd said he floated when he pulled him out and couldn’t put them away.’
Considering the mare’s current form, punters might find value in the upcoming race at racing odds offered by various bookmakers.