Jamie Melham remarked that she felt old after guiding the Adelaide-trained galloper Pretty Baby to a Stakes race victory at Sandown.
While Melham’s career has since flourished, she fondly recalls partnering Louisiana to a win at Strathalbyn in 2016.
Louisiana is the dam of Pretty Baby, who delivered an emphatic 3-¾ length win in the Listed Atlantic Jewel Stakes (1300m) at Sandown on Saturday, positioning her as a leading contender for the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on October 17.
As a $5.50 chance in the betting, Pretty Baby finished well clear of the $3.90 favourite Ghana’s Akan, with Portinari ($4) a further half-neck back in third.
“The owners reminded me, I feel really old, as I used to ride the mum a lot,” Melham said.
“She was a bit difficult, and this filly is the same, but she’s got a lot more talent.
“She’s something else this horse.”
Melham had reviewed Pretty Baby’s race manners in Adelaide and observed that the filly frequently displayed awkward tendencies.
“She looked like she was doing things wrong, hanging out, hanging in back in Adelaide, and today she was a little professional,” Melham stated.
“She did everything right, I stopped the whip just because I know she has a tendency to lay in but she never gave me that feel today.
“She’s improved a lot since her last start, but she’s got a lot more improvement in her.”
Pretty Baby is trained at Morphettville by Gordon Richards and Damien Moyle.
Richards is well-acquainted with Melbourne racing, having prepared Gytrash to win the 2020 Group 1 Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Flemington.
Another Group 1 target is in sight for the stable, with Moyle being a relatively new training partner.
Moyle expressed that the training team holds the filly in high esteem and was pleased with her performance in her Melbourne debut.
This was Pretty Baby’s sixth start since May, and Moyle explained that the filly had a three-week spell following her Listed victory at Morphettville Parks in late June.
“Her first win was 1050 (metres), and it was really a trial for her as with the weather we couldn’t get a trial into her,” Moyle explained.
“We’re pretty happy with how things are going and let’s hope they keep going that way.”
Moyle mentioned that Pretty Baby could race again in the Group 2 Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) at Caulfield on September 19, or alternatively be set for the Listed Jim Moloney Stakes over the same distance eight days later.
Considering the upcoming Thousand Guineas, prospective bettors can examine the available betting markets for the race at leading Australian betting sites.