Tony McEvoy eyes second Australian Guineas

Trainer Tony McEvoy is looking for history to repeat in the Australian Guineas when his contender Bring Me Roses lines up in the Group One race from the inside barrier.

Group Two-winning filly Bring Me Roses will be trying to give McEvoy back-to-back Guineas wins after gelding Hey Doc was successful 12 months ago when he started from barrier one in the 1600m feature for three-year-olds at Flemington.

Bring Me Roses won the Group Two Edward Manifold Stakes for fillies over the course and distance last spring and has also finished second in the Group One VRC Oaks (2500m) and Group Three Vanity (1400m) at the track.

Her only failure at the course was in the Wakeful Stakes.

McEvoy was delighted with Bring Me Roses’ first-up second in The Vanity last Saturday week behind Rimraam when he felt the filly just got a little tired late.

“She has bounced out of that run beautifully and trained on very nicely,” McEvoy said.

“She gets the benefit of the fillies’ weight and barrier one.

“Hey Doc won this race last year from barrier one so I’m hoping we can get a similar result.

“She’s in great order.”

Bring Me Roses and Thousand Guineas winner Aloisia are the only two fillies in Saturday’s capacity field, with the fillies to carry 2kg less than the colts and geldings.

Triscay (1991), Miss Finland (2007), Shamrocker (2010) and Mosheen (2012) are the only fillies to have won the Australian Guineas, which was first run in 1986.

“She’s going to going to get a lovely economical run and she just needs an opportunity and I expect her to run very well,” McEvoy said.

McEvoy planned for the Australian Guineas to be the second run of the preparation for Bring Me Roses before sending the filly to Sydney to contest either the Group One Coolmore Classic or Group Two Phar Lap Stakes and then the Group One Vinery Stud Stakes.

Bring Me Roses, to be ridden by Luke Currie who won on Hey Doc last year, was at $21 for the Guineas on Wednesday.

The Darren Weir-trained Cliff’s Edge heads the market at $4.20 favourite ahead of C S Hayes Stakes winner Grunt ($5.50) and Aloisia ($7).

Aloisia could join Miss Finland as a winner of the Thousand Guineas in the spring and Australian Guineas in the autumn.