Meagher team after first stakes double

The Eagle Farm black-out last week has given the Meagher training partnership the opportunity of a first stakes double.

Melbourne Cup-winning trainer John Meagher and his sons Chris and Dan set up in Brisbane four years ago and have established themselves as major players in Queensland.

Dan Meagher has moved to train in his own right in Singapore but John and Chris are having another good year.

They have genuine chances to win two stakes races with Cruising Speed (Listed Just Now Stakes) and Savanna Amour (Listed Mode Plate), at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Savanna Amour was favourite for the Mode Plate last Saturday but the race was called off after an approaching storm reduced visibility.

The Mode Plate was transferred to Saturday’s meeting with the original field staying intact.

Both Cruising Speed and Savanna Amour are raced by Grant Morgan’s Ontrack Thoroughbreds Syndicate which has 35 horses spread across three states..

“The Meaghers have done a great job for us and it would be great for us all to get a stakes double on Saturday,” Morgan said.

“It is the grand final for this campaign for Savanna Amour as she is an Inglis sales horse and not eligible for the Magic Millions series.

“We picked the Mode Plate as her main aim after she won a maiden at the Sunshine Coast in the winter. Long term we are looking at the Sydney autumn.”

Morgan said Savanna Amour had been kept up to the mark with a strong trial win three weeks ago.

Cruising Speed finished a handy fourth in the Colin McAlpine Memorial at her last start two weeks ago.

“She is much better off here at the handicap conditions,” Morgan said.

“We have always felt that Cruising Speed would win a stakes race.

“She will probably be best when she gets to 1600 metres but the 1300 on Saturday should suit her at this stage of her campaign.”

Morgan could have had a third stakes runner at Eagle Farm on Saturday but the Gerald Ryan-trained Girl Sunday will run instead at Rosehill.