Gary Portelli admits Queen Of Clubs is unlikely to be sharp enough to match him with the best fillies on a sprint trip, but he hopes she can make her mark once she goes on a residency trip.
The three-year-old is heading to the Group 1 ATC Australian Oaks (2400m) in April, and Saturday’s Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) at Randwick is her first step towards that goal.
“We’re doing an Oaks campaign,” Portelli said.
“Winning a stakes race is what we hope to do, and I don’t think that will happen until she reaches 2000 meters.
“I don’t think she is sharp enough to beat these really good fillies like Apocalyptic, who is a very sharp horse. She will be hard to beat until the mile, but from then on the gate opens a little wider.”
Queen Of Clubs, a daughter of renowned sire of stayers Maurice, was competitive in a number of Princess Series races in the spring before retiring with cardiac arrhythmias when unplaced in the Flight Stakes (1600m).
Her first win and only placing in the black type were both achieved on rain-affected terrain and Portelli said any wet tracks in the autumn would be to his filly’s advantage.
“If we happen to get rain as we reach our big final period, that would certainly help,” he said.
“She likes it wet and autumn is often a wet time.”
Portelli also welcomes Verona Rose back in the Triscay Stakes (1200m) and although he would have preferred to kick her off a little further, he is pleased with how much she has strengthened since taking the Inglis Bracelet (1600m) at Flemington in November.
Although he is the first to admit that she must have found “three or four lengths” to compete with the elite mares, he likes what he sees at home.
“It’s a different horse you’re going to see this weekend. She’s more powerful. She’s more conditioned. She knows what she’s here for and she never runs a bad race,” Portelli said.
“We will discover in this campaign whether she is a match for the real Group One horses.
“She will be heading towards a Coolmore (Classic) if she can really get into shape, and we will try to earn as much prize money as possible in the process.”
Verona Rose has won first two of her three starts, but Saturday will be her first time racing under 1300 meters.
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