A widening six-plus length TAB Highway placing normally doesn’t rate especially opposing near 60 episode-winning trainers Matthew Dunn and Matt Dale into Royal Randwick on Saturday for Agirlsbestfriend ($8 on TAB).
However, for multiple series winner Marc Quinn, the resilient four-year-old mare didn’t contest any average episode – she was unlucky enough to strike Group talent Know Thyself recently in one of the hottest Highways since inception.
Classes above, Know Thyself subsequently was $2.70, led and beaten in the last few strides in the Group 3-Winx Guineas at the Sunshine Coast recently with the 1600m and a heavy track his undoing.
Agirlsbestfriend with Jenny Duggan aboard cruises home at Muswellbrook. Image by Bradley Photographers
Know Thyself would be Winx odds in Saturday’s $120,000 class 3, 1800m set weights Highway Plate – and it should be noted the runner-up to Know Thyself, Shihad, bolted in at Taree on Tuesday.
Racefit Agirlsbestfriend, with regular rider Jenny Duggan, is well placed with 57kg as a three-race winner up only Ikg on the Know Thyself race where Jenny rode.
And vitally out to a seemingly ideal distance range, after the mare’s strong closing sections from rearward at 1400m and 1500m episodes and a tougher BM70 1600m at Doomben recently.
Now back to a country Class 3: “She’s racefit and Marc has placed her well, she’s run well in several Highways and that Group 3 form line but the issue is she just keeps getting too far back.
“She resents being bustled to hold a position you can’t keep niggling, Duggan said.
“She’s a mare who appreciates her comfort zone, so we’ve got to find the right balance and maybe the 1800m is it.
“We’re still not sure though a strong 1800m, but her past three runs suggest as a four-year-old now she’s ready for it.
“Just hoping this time we can be midfield, backmarkers in a capacity Highway field face a near impossible task.”
Reinforcement is the Star Turn mare’s runner-up in the MNC Country Championship qualifier at Tuncurry before unplaced in the Final at headquarters at 1400m.
“We did expect better in the Final but she did have a few niggles going into that race.”
Of course, Marc’s father the late great Pat Quinn for decades trained champions at Rosehill Gardens for racing giants, the Inghams.
And Marc for a time foreman for his dad and John Hawkes before the family moved to Port Macquarie.
Meanwhile, Matt Dale’s Field the Moment ($3.70 into $3.40 favourite) is the weighted runner with 55.5kg, same as she carried when a three-length series second to highly promising Cranky Harry recently with Doomben form.
And an airborne Tyler Schiller although her overall strike rate is not encouraging.
Dunn has accepted with Imarichgirl ($8) a recent Sunshine Coast winner and fourth at Doomben, and also Intentional Lass ($13) off consistent Grafton and Ipswich form.
– Racing NSW
