In the normal scheme of things, Saturday’s gritty performance for second in the Gr.1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill would have been class filly Probabeel’s last of her current Australian campaign.
That was the initial plan for the Brendan and Jo Lindsay-owned three-year-old as trainer Jamie Richards and her connections looked ahead to the promise of her four-year-old spring campaign.
That of course was until the current Covid-19 pandemic threw a massive spanner in the works and cast doubt on just what shape and form the racing industry would take next week let alone next season.
Given the Savabeel filly has been handling her current workload with aplomb, Richards is happy to press on to another significant target provided his charge comes through her latest performance in top shape.
“She was very brave on Saturday and went a terrific race on a track that was a little too wet for her liking,” Richards said.
“I thought Kerrin McEvoy rode her a treat and had her in the right places at the right time but with that slower tempo early in the race she just couldn’t quite get to the winner who had had it pretty soft in front.
“She needs that firmer footing to really ping like she can so to get as close as she did was a tremendous effort.
“She has been thriving during her time in Sydney and has had no trouble maintaining her weight and condition so the racing isn’t taking that much out of her.
“We had initially thought that Saturday would be her last run and we would bring her home and put her in the paddock as we look to the spring but the way things are at the moment, we have had to have a rethink on that front.”
Richards will wait for a report from his father Paul, who is in Sydney with Probabeel along with fellow stablemates Melody Belle and Te Akau Shark, before deciding on the filly’s next step however a shot at the Gr.1 Australian Oaks (2400m) at Randwick on April 11 is the likely scenario.
“I’ll speak with Dad about how she has come through the race before we make a decision on our next move,” he said.
“The early reports are she has pulled up well and if she comes through this one like she has previously then we will be heading to the Oaks.
“We have Melody Belle ready to go in the Doncaster (Gr.1, 1600m) at Randwick this weekend and she has done really well since moving to Sydney from Melbourne.
“I’m looking forward to getting her on that Randwick track as I think it suits her a little better and as we are based there she has gotten into a nice rhythm which won’t be too different to what she will encounter on raceday.”
With racing on hiatus in New Zealand, Richards is finding it a little hard to adjust to a slower pace than he is used to in his daily life.
“I’m at home here in Matamata in lockdown with Mum and my sister Libby and things are pretty different to what they are normally,” he said.
“We’ve got a couple of horses in the paddocks here which need feeding and the like but with the rest of the racing team out spelling there hasn’t been a hell of a lot to do.
“I’ve been up and cleaned the gutters out and done a bit of water blasting around the place but the new routine is going to take a bit of getting used to.” – NZ Racing Desk
