The Tattersalls Tiara is shaping up to be a rigorous contest, and trainer Grahame Begg is hopeful for a smooth week with his representative, Splash Back.
The imported mare is slated to pursue her first Group 1 win in Saturday’s $700,000 event for fillies and mares at Eagle Farm.
Splash Back was elevated to the top of the betting odds following the weekend’s announcement that Dane Ripper Stakes winner She’s Got Pizzazz would bypass the race, joining Group 1 star Fangirl and Stradbroke Handicap champion Spicy Martini in skipping Australia’s final Group 1 race of the season.
Begg is not concerned about facing that strong competition; his confidence is high after his six-year-old mare’s sixth-place finish behind Spicy Martini in the Stradbroke Handicap on June 13.
“It surprised me that it’s fallen away a little bit in a sense – Fangirl’s gone for a break, Spicy Martini has gone for a break, they’re in the spelling paddock – but it will still be a competitive race,” Begg commented.
“She’s come through the Stradbroke really well and we’re absolutely looking forward to it.
“It’s weight-for-age, it’s over 1400 and she’s rock hard fit now.”
Splash Back drew barrier six in the 17-horse Tattersalls Tiara line-up, with one emergency runner. Jordan Childs will partner her in the race.
Last year’s runner-up, Abounding, drew the outside gate, while the recent Group 3 Dark Jewel Stake (1400m) winner Tuileries drew barrier 3, and Manaal is set to jump from gate nine.
Splash Back, the six-year-old daughter of Le Havre, will compete in her fifth race of the season on Saturday. Her notable lead-up performance was securing her second career Group 2 win in the Victory Stakes (1200m) on May 2.
This victory followed a seventh-place run first-up in the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes (1200m). Her Stradbroke Handicap run was preceded by a ninth-place finish in the Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m), four weeks after her Victory Stakes win.
“She came off a good layoff between runs, but we aimed the prep that way,” Begg stated.
“There was going to be a gap between Sydney and the Victory Stakes and then she had the break between the next run.
“This was the one we had in mind since last spring, the Tatt’s Tiara, a weight-for-age race for mares. It’s the race that we earmarked.”
With a strong field expected for the Tattersalls Tiara, explore the available betting markets for the race.