Cambridge trainer Tony Pike has Group 1 Queensland Oaks aspirations for talented fillies Rock Diva and Sancerre.
The pair galloped between races at Te Rapa on Saturday, pleasing Pike as they prepared for Queensland assignments this weekend.
Pike has entered both fillies for the Listed A$125,000 Gold Coast Bracelet (1800m) on Saturday but wasn’t confident that O’Reilly filly Sancerre would make the field.
“I was really pleased with the gallop of both horses. Sancerre is still a bit new and she was looking around a bit at the infield indicator board but she was still strong past the post,” Pike said.
“Rock Diva was a real little professional and she did everything right. Both have pulled up nice and clean and they will fly to Brisbane on Thursday.
“They will both be entered for the Gold Coast Bracelet but if Sancerre doesn’t have enough points to get in there are races at Ipswich the same day or at the Sunshine Coast the next day that she can run in.”
Pike has three-race campaigns planned for both fillies, with the Group 3 Doomben Roses (2000m) on May 17 his preferred leadup to the Group 1 Queensland Oaks (2400m) at Eagle Farm on May 31.
Rock Diva has yet to miss a top-three finish in five starts, winning the Group 3 Sunline Vase (2100m) at Ellerslie last month before finishing third in the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham.
Sancerre has had just three starts, winning on debut at Avondale before finishing second to subsequent Sydney winner Beauty’s Beast at Tauranga and fifth in Listed company at Riccarton last start, when finishing strongly late.
Her dam Vouvray won the 2004 Queensland Oaks.
The third member of Pike’s Brisbane team is Group One performer Sacred Star, who could yet have his next start in the Gr. 1 A$1.36 million Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 7.
“He’s not quite ready yet but we’ll trial him over there. If he’s going well enough he might run fresh up in the Stradbroke,” Pike said.
Sacred Star hasn’t raced since his close second to Viadana in the Group 1 NRM Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa on February 8, a run which followed his placing in the Group 1 Telegraph Handicap (1200m) at Trentham two weeks earlier.
– NZ Racing Desk
