James McDonald is hoping for better luck when he teams up again with Queensland filly Outback Barbie in the 2018 Group 2 $200,000 Darley Furious Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on Saturday.
Outback Barbie, above in green and white colours running second to Fiesta in the Silver Shadow Stakes, will get her chance to turn the tables in the Furious Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.
McDonald had no luck on Outback Barbie last start when the filly finished a gallant second to the Chris Waller trained Fiesta in the Group 2 $200,000 Darley Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on August 18.
The Tony Gollan trained filly was slow to leave the barriers in the Silver Shadow Stakes and had to settle in the second half of the field behind the eventual winner Fiesta.
McDonald stuck to the fence in the straight but had a lot of trouble finding clear space and only saw daylight in the final fifty metres which then enabled Outback Barbie to stretch out but the filly failed by a long head to run down the winner.
Gollan knows that Outback Barbie is not far away from winning a nice race and thinks with a change of luck she could turn the tables on Fiesta in the Furious Stakes.
“In fairness you just want to see them come back and race good,” Gollan told The Courier-Mail.
“She did that so I’m happy with that, but it’s frustrating that she gets beaten, knowing she should have a Group race on the CV, especially when she also had little luck back in the autumn.”
‘‘She’s come through the run better than what she went into it and the reports I’m getting from Sydney are very exciting.”
Outback Barbie scored on debut as a two year old during the Queensland Summer Carnival in the Listed $100,000 Calaway Gal Stakes (1110m) at Doomben in December before running third to Sunlight in the 2018 $2m Magic Millions 2yo Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast in January.
Gollan also gave Outback Barbie her chance during the 2018 Sydney Autumn Carnival when she ran third to Pure Elation in the Group 2 $600,000 Percy Sykes Stakes (1200m) at Randwick.
The Kris Lees trained Miss Fabulass has been installed as the early $3.50 favourite for the Furious Stakes at Ladbrokes.com.au with Fiesta and Outback Barbie sharing the second line of betting at $$5.
Early betting for the 2018 Furious Stakes at Ladbrokes.com.au: $3.50 Miss Fabulass, $5 Fiesta, Outback Barbie, $6 Oohood, Pure Elation, $9 Fundamentalist, $11 Pretty In Pink, $16 Cristobal, $26 Satin Slipper, $31 Let Me Sleep On It, Sweet Ava, $51 Meryl, $101 Unguarded.
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