Mariquita to make up for lost time
Trainer Gerald Ryan hopes Mariquita can back up a last-start Canterbury win at Rosehill.
After missing a start in a Group Three race because of a wet track, Mariquita will be out to make up for the lost opportunity when she runs in a benchmark race at Rosehill.
The mare was scheduled to run in the Group Three Birthday Card Stakes (1200m) on March 24 but was withdrawn when the track was soft.
She will instead run in Monday’s Benchmark 83 Handicap (1300m) with the Group Three Godolphin Crown at Hawkesbury on April 28 a target.
Although she failed first-up in the Triscay Stakes at Randwick on February 17, she had excuses and trainer Gerald Ryan was heartened by her win at Canterbury on March 2.
“She is going very well and I was really happy with the way she won at Canterbury,” Ryan said.
“We had to scratch from the Group Three mares race because of the wet track and we are looking at the Godolphin Crown at Hawkesbury as a nice race for her over 1300 metres.”
Ryan’s other runner at the public holiday meeting is two-year-old I Like It Easy who will make her debut over 1100 metres.
The filly showed improvement on her first two barrier trials to run second in her most recent to Miss Invincible who had race experience on her side.
“I think she will be better over longer distances later,” Ryan said.
“She is owned by Bert Vieira who races Trapeze Artist who runs in the TJ Smith Stakes on Saturday.”
The winner of the Group One Golden Rose in September, three-year-old Trapeze Artist won the weight-for-age Expressway Stakes (1200m) before running fourth in the Hobartville Stakes (1400m) and third in the Randwick Guineas (1600m), both won by Kementari.
“He has freshened up nicely and goes back to 1200 metres in the TJ which I think will suit,” Ryan said.
Trapeze Artist is at $14 for the TJ Smith with Redzel the $2.50 favourite.
Chautauqus has won the TJ Smith for the past three years but will be missing this time around after refusing to jump out of the gates in four barrier trials.
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