Stage 'N' Screen to Star in Guineas
Date: 14 Nov 2024
A barrier mishap delayed Stage 'N' Screen's race debut earlier this season but the talented filly has still emerged as a contender for the Group 1 Thousand Guineas.
Trainer Mark Walker is planning to run the lightly raced Stage 'N' Screen in Saturday's 1600-metre feature for three-year-old fillies at Caulfield off the back of a maiden win at Seymour over 1200m on October 13 and then a determined fourth placing in the Listed The Amanda Elliott (1400m) on Melbourne Cup Day at Flemington.
Daniel Stackhouse is booked to ride Stage 'N' Screen in the Thousand Guineas.
"She had no luck in running the other day, just from the barrier draw she got caught three wide with no cover," Walker said.
"It looked as though she was going to weaken halfway down the straight, but she was really strong the last 100 metres to come back and get fourth and she just missed out on getting third.
"We thought it was a good run."
Walker, who trains from stables in New Zealand and also Victoria under the Te Akau Racing banner, said the Thousand Guineas was the aim for Stage 'N' Screen when she was sent across the Tasman Sea to their Cranbourne yard.
However, the filly had to be scratched from a 1200-metre maiden at her home track on September 19 after becoming fractious in the barriers and then didn't make her debut for almost another month.
"She had trialled up with very, very strong trials in New Zealand," Walker said.
"Then her first (scheduled) start, a horse played up in the barriers beside her and she had to be late scratched.
"She just got a bit of a fright that day, so we had to do quite a bit of barrier work with her. Julien Welsh was a big help in getting her right.
"We had to pass her barrier certificate again, which just held us up."
Despite that, Walker believes Stage 'N' Screen is ready for the Guineas third-up after pressing her claims with a good performance at Flemington.
"She'll definitely be fit enough to run the mile, that won't be a worry," Walker said.
"It would just be nice to draw a soft gate and get her a bit smothered up.
"This is the race we had in mind when we brought her over. Just early on that barrier mishap just held us up a bit but we still think she's on track and she's bounced out of her race on Tuesday really well.
"We think in the autumn, once she gets it all together, she might even be an Oaks filly."