Quintessa Heads Flemington Quartet

13 September, 2024

Quintessa Heads Flemington Quartet


Raceform's Richard Edmunds reports:

After a first-up win in the Cockram Stakes, Quintessa is set to line up in the Let’s Elope Stakes at Flemington this weekend.

Fresh from the extraordinary Australian exploits of Imperatriz being honoured at the New Zealand Horse of the Year Awards, Te Akau Racing is hoping to make further impact from its Cranbourne stable with a four-pronged team at Flemington on Saturday.

Top billing belongs to last season’s Gr. 1 Levin Classic winner Quintessa, who started her four-year-old season with an outstanding first-up victory under 60 kilograms in the Gr. 3 Cockram Stakes at Caulfield on August 31. The daughter of Shamus Award will step up from 1200 to 1400 metres for Saturday’s Gr. 2 Let’s Elope Stakes.

“Her win in the Cockram was a very good first-up performance under a big weight,” Te Akau’s head trainer Mark Walker said. “I’m in Melbourne this week and I’ve been very impressed with how she’s looking. It’s just a two-week turnaround between races, so we haven’t had to do a lot and we’ve just kept her ticking over.

“Getting up to 1400 metres should be ideal second-up, and she ran well (fourth) in the Australian Guineas at Flemington earlier in the year, so I’m looking forward to seeing her back there on Saturday.”

Saturday’s Gr. 2 Bobbie Lewis Quality features Sans Doute, who recorded four wins in a row down the Flemington straight course last season, including the Listed Bob Hoysted Handicap. The five-year-old resumed with a close third in the Listed Norman Carlyon Stakes at Moonee Valley on August 24 – a performance that has subsequently received a big boost.

“That was a very good run and she was probably a bit unlucky not to finish even closer,” Walker said. “But that form has been franked since then with the winner (Mornington Glory) going on to win the Moir Stakes last Saturday.

“We know she likes that straight course at Flemington. Going up to 1200 metres is a slight question mark, but I think she’s relaxing much better now.”

Cranbourne stable newcomer Bellatrix Star, who was an encouraging first-up fifth in the Gr. 3 Quezette Stakes, will line up in Saturday’s Listed Cap D’Antibes Stakes, while the transtasman Group performer Zourion resumes in Benchmark 78 company.

“Bellatrix Star has had a bit of time between runs but seems to have trained on nicely,” Walker said. “Going down the Flemington straight for the first time is always a query, but hopefully she’ll handle that okay.

“Zourion jumped out nicely in blinkers the other day. This looks like a nice race to kick her off in, and hopefully we can build her up to some black-type races.”

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