A combination of blinkers and rapid reappearance has gifted Salty Pearl’s connections a major purse at Caulfield.
The Ciaron Maher operation was unconcerned about committing the filly to Saturday’s $500,000 VOBIS Platinum Guineas (1600m), mere days after she pursued Sass Appeal home in Flemington’s Stakes race.
Having aced a similar eight-day turnaround before, the Maher team delivered another standout performance.
John Allen guided the $2.05 elect, Salty Pearl, to a commanding 2-¾ length success ahead of $41 chance Silvasista, as Wetumpka ($61) trailed by an additional 1-½ lengths for third.
Jack Turnbull, the Maher stable’s National Assistant Trainer, credited the second-time blinkers for Salty Pearl’s smooth passage in the 1600m feature.
“She was always in control,” Turnbull said.
“The blinkers made her travel and she took John everywhere and when he asked her to poke into a hole at about the 450 (metres), she was there straight away.
That’s when you knew she was going to be there for a long way and in the straight they spanned wide and they were coming from everywhere, but her class shone through.
It’s the second time we’ve backed her up for a second victory.
We had to go back from the draw last start, and we thought her run was huge, but we were beaten by a classy filly.
She’s very consistent and building a fantastic record.”
Turnbull acknowledged the volume of starts Salty Pearl has notched in her three-year-old term to date.
Saturday’s race was start number 12, bringing win number three, with potential interstate targets on the table after she recuperates.
Nevertheless, extending beyond 1600m seems improbable, per Turnbull.
“You could have the Queen Of The Turf Stakes which would be the top of the tree otherwise if she was in the right frame of mind and physically OK, you could possibly look at a Carbine Club Stakes as well,” Turnbull said.
“We’re conscious of where we want to get to and what she has done, but it’s good options to have.
I think that’s her trip. Again, you could float the idea and try (a longer trip), but she’s very effective at this distance and I don’t think we need to change.”
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