Leading Group 1 winning jockey Hugh Bowman will be chasing back to back wins in the Group 1 $1m Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday.
Hugh Bowman will ride Catchy, above, in the Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Bowman won the sprint for the three year olds down the Flemington straight last year on the Mick Price trained Flying Artie and is aboard the highly fancied Catchy this year.
The Lindsay Park trained Catchy is on the second line of betting at $8.50 in a wide open market for the Coolmore Stud Stakes at Ladbrokes.com.au and Bowman is giving the Fastnet Rock filly a second to none chance of winning.
“She’s a great ride in the Coolmore,” Bowman told AAP.
“I had the choice of a few horses, but I wouldn’t swap her for anything and I wouldn’t change the draw (17).”
Catchy has drawn barrier seventeen in the twenty horse Coolmore Stud Stakes field but Bowman can’t see a problem with that.
Catchy is one of five fillies in the capacity field and one of three prepared by the Lindsay Park Team of David and Ben Hayes and Tom Daberjnig and was a winner down the Flemington straight over the same distance as Saturday’s test three starts back in the Group 2 $200,000 Danehill Stakes.
Catchy then ran third to Booker in the Group 2 $200,000 Schweppes Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) at Caulfield on October 1 before running a gallant third against the colts and geldings in the Group 1 $2m Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on October 14.
The Lindsay Park Team decided to extend Catchy’s Spring Carnival preparation and freshened her up for the 1200m straight dash this week.
“I thought her run in the Guineas was really good,” Ben Hayes told racing.com.
“They went break neck speed and she probably didn’t stay the mile so we have elected to freshen here up as a sprinter and she has a record down the straight and she has beaten Jukebox as well and beaten the boys.”
The Lindsay Park Team will also saddle up Tulip, barrier thirteen with Jamie Spencer in the saddle, and Formality with Kerrin McEvoy from gate two.
Ben Hayes said the stable is happy with all the fillies going into the Coolmore Stud Stakes and is expecting a bold showing from them all.
“They have really good fillies as two year olds and they have all trained on and they are doing fantastic,” Ben Hayes said.
“They all have great claims and looking forward to seeing them run.”
Tulip is dropping back to three year old company after running fifth to Redzel in the $10m The Everest (1200m) at Randwick on October 14 and Formality is coming off a last start win over Jukebox in the Group 3 $350,000 Catanach’s Jewellers Blue Sapphire Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on October 18.
“I thought Tulip’s run in The Everest was full of merit, she beat She Will Reign and Houtzen and she has come on. Her work on Monnday was really good,” Ben Hayes said.
“Formality was fantastic in the Blue Sapphire. She beat one of the other favourites in the Coolmore, Jukebox, and she looks like she is holding her form.”
Tulip is rated as a $12 chance for the Coolmore Stud Stakes just ahead of Formality at $14 while the James Cummings trained Viridine heads the market order at $7.50..
