Sunshine Coast trainer David Vandyke is still weighing up the odds if he is to start his smart filly Baccarat Baby in Saturday’s Group 3 $140,000 Sunshine Coast Guineas (1600m) on her home track.
Baccarat Baby had a tough run behind Invincibella, above, in the Tattersall’s Tiara at Eagle Farm. Photo by Steve Hart.
Baccarat Baby has only seven days to recover from a tough run in last Saturday’s Group 1 $500,000 Sky Racing Tattersall’s Tiara (1400m) at Eagle Farm when she finished fourteenth to Invincibella after being wide from a horror barrier.
Vandyke said that he is still monitoring Baccarat Baby’s recovery and will wait as long as possible before giving the filly the all clear to take her place in the Sunshine Coast Guineas field.
“I’m still keeping a close watch on her following her Tatt’s Tiara run and if she shows any signs that she hasn’t fully recovered then she’ll go to the paddock,” Vandyke told the Racing Queensland News Desk.
“Either way, she’ll still go to the paddock next week for a decent break.”
“She’s drawn a bit awkwardly in barrier 13 for the Caloundra Guineas but at least it’s better than 16 which she had in the Tatt’s Tiara.”
“This is a big step down in class and there’s a 70 per cent chance she’ll start.
“She covered a lot of ground in the Tatt’s Tiara and faced the breeze the whole way.
“It wasn’t a great run but it was a big step up in grade for her.”
Michael Hellyer had no luck after Baccarat Baby jumped from barrier sixteen in the eighteen horse Tattersall’s Tiara field and he is not going get any favours this week after the filly came up with the thirteen marble in the sixteen horse Sunshine Coast Guineas field for the three year olds.
Despite drawing another horror gate, Baccarat Baby is the firming $3 favourite at Ladbrokes.com.au for the Sunshine Coast Guineas ahead of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace trained Junipal who is a solid $4.20 second pick.
The Kris Lees trained Asharani and Statuesquely from the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable share the next line of betting at $8.
Vandyke agrees with the bookies that Junipal and Asharani will be the hardest to beat as Baccarat Baby tries to keep her Sunshine Coast unbeaten record of three from three intact.
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