This time round Dear Demi goes into the Coolmore Classic right where trainer Clarry Conners wants the laidback mare.
The group 1 fillies and mares feature at Rosehill on Saturday has once again created plenty of debate surrounding the handicapping but weight isn’t worrying Conners either.
The big-race trainer knows the John Singleton home-bred is in great condition heading into the all female affair.
“She’s never had a good break but we were able to give her one after she ran in last year’s Melbourne Cup,” Conners said on Thursday.
“She had a nice spell at Singo’s farm on the Central Coast, it is horse heaven.”
This time last year Dear Demi was a major player in the lead-up to the Coolmore Classic. After a first-up third in the Light Fingers Stakes she steamed home to win the Surround but unfortunately things didn’t work out in the Coolmore.
Grand slam winning jockey Jim Cassidy was forced to sit wide throughout and had no luck getting a drag into the race but that is all in the past.
“I’m happy with the horse, very happy with her first-up run,” Conners said.
The all round horseman was referring to Dear Demi’s closing third in the Wiggle Stakes behind Coolmore favourite Catkins.
“She has never won first-up but always races well, runs a place usually,” Conners said.
“She usually runs a bottler second-up and I’m hoping she can do it in the Coolmore on Saturday.
“She is ready for it, I know that.”
Conners has trained any number of top line thoroughbreds, including four Golden Slipper winners, but Dear Demi maybe a rarity.
“She raced as a two-year-old at the top level, won the VRC Oaks as a spring three-year-old and managed to run in last year’s Melbourne Cup,” Conners said.
“Her couple of starts prior to the cup were terrific, she ran third in the Caulfield Cup and second in the Mackinnon.
“I wasn’t very happy with the ride in the Melbourne Cup. Her racing pattern, she gets out the back and gets home, in the cup she was running fourth out the straight the first time and she was pulling.
“It was all over red rover.”
As for the trackwork well that is another yarn.
“She thrives on racing, she is a horrible trackworker,” Conners said.
“On the track she is very lazy and I cannot get her fit, you’ve got to race her to get her fit.
“She is tough and she is happy at the moment, she does get a heap of TLC, she gets well looked after and she usually returns the favour.”
Next up for the four-year-old is the Coolmore Classic where record breaking trainer Chris Waller will start Catkins, Royal Descent and Arinosa.
“It is a hard race, Chris’s horse Catkins is in too light but we can’t do anything about it,” Conners said.
“I’m meeting it 2.5kg betting on their last start and I know my mare will run well.”
By Craig Young
