Trainer Donna Logan will enter Group One Australian Oaks winner Rising Romance for the upcoming Melbourne features but says the filly is in for a light spring.
Rising Romance finished second in the Group One New Zealand Derby in March before crossing the Tasman Sea to beat Australia’s best staying fillies at Randwick on April 19.
Logan and her co-trainer Dean Logan sent Rising Romance for a spell immediately after her Oaks victory and the filly returned to their Ruakaka stable on Monday.
The Logans will enter Rising Romance in the Cox Plate and Caulfield Cup as well as the Group One Hong Kong Cup in December.
“As a trainer, you can’t rule out any opportunities,” Logan said.
But having the Ekraar filly ready for a full autumn campaign will be the stable’s priority.
“We’ll be giving her a light spring and then target the autumn when she’ll really be at her peak,” Donna Logan told NZ Thoroughbred Marketing.
“There’s a lot of money on offer and she’ll be a lot stronger then.”
Logan said Rising Romance would be vaccinated for a possible Hong Kong trip to cover all possibilities.
The trainer said jockey James McDonald thought Rising Romance was the ideal Cox Plate type but Logan added the Caulfield Cup would be a likely target if the rising four-year-old made it to Melbourne.
“They’re animals and not machines and things can change from day to day so we’ll just have to wait and see closer to the time,” Logan said.
The Logans enjoyed a stellar day on their home track Ruakaka on Saturday, winning six of the 10 races.
– AAP