Pecans to defend Crown at Hawkesbury

The Joe Pride-trained Pecans is out to defend the Hawkesbury Crown before being sold as a broodmare.

Joe Pride reckons he has the formula right as he prepares Pecans for a first-up Group Three win which may well be her last race start.

The trainer sent Pecans to the Darley Crown at Hawkesbury a year ago on the back of three barrier trials and she delivered the goods in the Group Three race.

She heads to the renamed Killahy Equine Crown (1300m) on Saturday off the same program of three trials.

“When I find a formula that works, I repeat it,” Pride said.

“She is good first-up and she is well-suited to Hawkesbury so we targeted this race.

“She is in the Chairman’s Sale next week and a win would add to her value. She is already worth a lot as a broodmare and it would be nice to get another win with her.”

Pecans’ only win since last year’s Crown has been in the Ladies Day Cup at Hawkesbury in November, again after three barrier trials.

She is raced by a Tricolours Syndicate which paid $50,000 for the former Godolphin mare at a tried horses sale.

Pride will also have up-and-coming Kylease at the meeting with the filly to run in the Group Three Hawkesbury Guineas and Tamarack in the 1500m-benchmark race.

Tamarack has had two trials ahead of a campaign Pride hopes can deliver a staying win at Listed level.

“I think he can get to Listed grade,” Pride said.

“There are plenty of races over distances and hopefully he gets to the two-mile race (Stayers Cup) at Randwick.

“This is a good place for him to start and I think he can be followed throughout his preparation.”

Kylease is up and running, earning her place in the Guineas (1400m) with three wins since February, the latest at Gosford on April 10.

The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Aloisia, who runs in the Group Three Hawkesbury Gold Cup, is one of the headline mares in the Chairman’s Sale to be conducted by Inglis.

The winner of the 2017 Thousand Guineas, Aloisia ran a creditable fifth in the Coolmore Classic before finishing down the track in the Doncaster Mile.