Luck Favours ready for Valley assignment

After a false start to a highly anticipated international racing career Luck Favours is set to step out for the second time in a fillies race at Moonee Valley.

Luck Favours was heading to Royal Ascot in June, but spiked a temperature on the day she was due to travel and the trip was aborted.

The northern hemisphere-bred Rosemont Stud-owned filly eventually made a winning debut at Seymour on November 15 and is set to line up in Saturday’s Keller Handicap (1200m).

Being northern hemisphere-bred Luck Favours is yet to turn three and is giving away age to her rivals on Saturday.

Trainer Mark Young says he is still coming to terms with the age difference as the filly carries the same weight as another three-year-old, Bonito, who like Luck Favours, was successful on debut.

“If you do form you like everything ticked but when you walk into the mounting yard and you’re giving six months away in age, its a bit hard to get over that one,” Young said.

“She went into that race at Seymour taking on three and four-year-olds and while she wasn’t a big strong spring three-year-old she does have a bit of strength about her and didn’t look out of place in the mounting yard.”

Despite trialling the filly in blinkers, Young elected not to put the gear on Luck Favours for her debut.

“I wanted her to take in the whole race day experience,” Young said.

“I think she’s a little bit better with the blinkers on as far as her concentration is concerned so they go back on Saturday.”

While an international racing foray was aborted Young took advantage of a trip to England to look at the facilities and came home impressed.

Royal Ascot is on the drawing board for next year, but the filly’s form would need to be first-rate to warrant heading overseas.

“She can still get there for her three-year-old year if she’s good enough,” Young said.

“If someone else owned her you’d be thinking black-type so you’ve got to have some plan with these fillies.

“She won first-up, she’s shown ability, let’s hope she keeps on improving.”