The Lindsay Park stable have accepted for Fuhryk to travel west and tackle the local Perth sprint stars in the Group 1 $1 million Crown Perth Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) this weekend.
Fuhryk is one of three eastern state raiders in the 13 horse Winterbottom Stakes 2017 field in Perth this weekend. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
A final field of 13 runners has been confirmed for Saturday’s Winterbottom Stakes this Perth Summer Racing Carnival, including three eastern state raiders.
Out to be the fourth mare since 2009 to salute in the weight-for-age feature, Star Witness four-year-old Fuhryk is one of the visitors in the mix.
She has an excellent strike rate of five wins and a second from nine previous 1200m runs and is out to atone for a last start ninth at Flemington in the Group 3 Maybe Mahal Stakes (1400m) during the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
Prior to that Fuhryk won the Listed Alinghi Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on October 21, her first win since taking out the Group 3 proud Miss Stakes (1200m) in Adelaide during the winter.
Saturday marks the first elite level assignment for Fuhryk since her failed 12th when stepped up to a mile as a filly behind Hey Doc in the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) in early March.
Having primarily been ridden by Craig Williams over the year, Fuhryk has a jockey change for Saturday with Damien Oliver in the saddle.
Oliver is chasing his second Winterbottom Stakes victory following his 2006 success on the Fred Kersley-trained favourite Marasco.
Co-trainer Tom Dabernig believes Fuhryk is a competitive hope in the Winterbottom Stakes, which the stable finished second in last year with Sheidel beaten home by Takedown.
“Before she won at Caulfield she had a disappointing run where she burned her bumpers,” Dabernig told AAP this week.
“We got that right and she came out and won and we then thought we’d try her at 1400 (metres), but her (longest) winning distance had only been 1200 previously.
“We had also tried her at a mile and she was disappointing then, so now she’s just a sprinter.
“We have in the past had our horses run well in the Winterbottom off the spring and we just thought she’d had a relatively light spring.
“She didn’t quite get to where we wanted her to, not through her lack of ability, but things didn’t fall into place.”
Leading the post-field Winterbottom Stakes odds at Ladbrokes.com.au is the locally-trained State Solicitor ($3), while Fuhryk is rated an $11 chance at the upset.
Premier Perth rider and two-time Winterbottom Stakes winning jockey William Pike partners the Grant & Alana Williams-trained favourite.
A five-year-old son of Nicconi, State Solicitor finished just a length away sixth in a blanket finish behind Takedown in the Winterbottom Stakes results last year.
He has won three of his subsequent four starts over the past 12 months including most recently the Group 3 $150,000 Colonel Reeves Stakes (1100m) on November 18.
State Solicitor now looks to complete the double last achieved by Barakey in 2012.
Along with Fuhryk meanwhile the other interstate visitors are the well-fancied Lloyd Kennewell-trained mare from Adelaide Viddora and Anthony Freedman’s Group 1 winner Santa Ana Lane to be ridden by Joe Bowditch and Dean Yendall respectively.
Viddora was last seen running fourth to Hey Doc in the Group 1 $1 million Manikato Stakes (1200m) and is out to score her first victory over further than 1100m.
Santa Ana Lane has also been kept fresh, the Lope De Vega entire having last raced on October 1 at Caulfield to win the Group 1 $500,000 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m).
Latest 2017 Winterbottom Stakes betting markets at Ladbrokes.com.au: $3 State Solicitor, $4 Viddora, $6 Rock Magic, $7.50 Santa Ana Lane, $11 Fuhryk, $15 Dainty Tess, $17 Caipirinha, $26 Durendal, $26 Whispering Brook, $26 Malibu Style, $34 Profit Street, $51 Dream Lifter, $101 The River.