Connections of glamorous three-year-old Tempted hold high hopes that she could outshine Bella Nipotina, who amassed almost $19 million and a memorable Everest victory over her exceptional career.
“She is pretty special,” trainer Ciaron Maher’s assistant, Johann Gerard-Dubord said.
“I would quote Craig Williams when he jumped off her after the Everest. He said, ‘I love Bella (Nipotina), but she might be even better’. That’s how good she could be.”
Her return triumph left little room for debate as the filly crushed her opposition in Saturday’s Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m) at Randwick, following the leaders before powering away in a stylish manner.
Chad Schofield, aboard the $1.60 elect, geared back the filly late to claim victory by 1-1/4 lengths margin over Napoleonic ($6.50), as Wodeton ($5) charged home for third spot, beaten by another 1-3/4 lengths.
Tempted is yet to capture Group 1 glory but ended second to champion Ka Ying Rising in last spring’s The Everest (1200m), and according to Gerard-Dubord, she has come back in peak form.
“When you run second in the Everest as a spring three-year-old, and running through the line, you know you’ve got a pretty special horse,” he said.
“She came back looking magnificent. Last prep, it took her a couple of runs to clean up in the coat but this time, from day one when she came back, she couldn’t look any better.
“Everything has been very smooth. Her target is the Surround (Stakes) in three weeks, which is why we elected to run this week. She would have been better placed against the fillies next week, but the three-week gap works out better.”
After contesting the Surround Stakes (1400m), paths for Tempted are fluid, with the TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) a prominent choice under discussion.
“All options are open. She is just so talented, and she relaxes so well, distance won’t be an issue,” Gerard-Dubord said.
For his initial race mount on the filly, Chad Schofield recognised the small lineup could turn tactical and positioned to avoid any traps right away.
“My two dangers were drawn to my inside, and I knew they were not going to let me in easily. So, I pinged her out (of the barriers), got her across and I was able to just control the race,” Schofield said.
“That was a lot of fun. She’s an aeroplane, really.”
Her impressive result tees up a blockbuster encounter with leading filly Apocalyptic at the Surround Stakes. Punters can find value via the racing betting markets on the Eskimo Prince Stakes.
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