Image: Bruno Cannatelli
The potential of a bigger payday convinces McEvoys to go to South Africa with Arabella Star
Arabella Star had a number of suitable options closer to home over the New Year period, but trainers Tony and Calvin Mcevoy have chosen an interstate race as the most suitable to chase victory number two.
The daughter of Star Turn heads to Gawler and will contest the $55,000 Kingsford Hotel Class 1 Handicap (1107m) on Saturday.
The three-year-old accepted a $22,000 benchmark 56 at Echuca on New Year’s Eve and was also entered in the Cranbourne program on Saturday evening, but Calvin McEvoy said the bigger prize money won the race in Adelaide.
“We thought the breed had similar vigor to Echuca but was worth three times the money, and we are trying to get her to be a metro winner too,” he said.
“She is doing well at home, she is still busy, but we wanted to take her over and give it a try.”
The Gawler event will be Arabella Star’s fifth start and first since finishing fourth, beaten by 2-1/4 lengths, in BM64 company at Sandown on December 10.
The start before she braved a well-known gambling urge – $4.80 to $9 – to break her first place finish in Kilmore on Cup Day in style.
Arabella Star will start from barrier two on Saturday, with Rochelle Milnes driving, and McEvoy said her chances could come down to the start.
“She starts a little slower out of the machine, so hopefully if she starts well she has the necessary speed.”
Arabella Star holds the second betting line in the Kingsford Hotel Handicap behind the Phillip Stokes-trained Harmonic Dancer, who will start from barrier eight with Connor Murtagh driving.
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