Sydney trainer Joe Pride will consider a Crown Oaks Day run at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup Carnival after the gutsy win of his diminutive but tough filly Kentucky Miss in the 2016 Cap D’Antibes Stakes.
Kentucky Miss saluted for the punters in the first stakes’ race on Makybe Diva Stakes Day 2016 down the Flemington straight. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
The opening Black-Type on the Makybe Diva Stakes Day card, the $120,000 Listed Cap D’Antibes Stakes (1100m) features a bumper line-up of progressive three-year-old fillies including the race favourite Kentucky Miss.
She had the outside barrier to overcome in her first look at the famous Flemington straight, but that suited the nicely-bred daughter of Foxwedge who appreciated having the rail on her right side.
Last seen running third to Star Turn at Rosehill in the Group 3 San Domenico Stakes (1100m) in mid-August, Kentucky Miss was well-backed on track for the Cap D’Antibes Stakes after a subsequent winning trial at Kembla Grange.
The booking of ace Melbourne hoop Damien Oliver also aided her chances, and he gave her a patient and well-timed ride to the line after plotting the wide course down the outside.
She was quick out of the gates and when the field split into two divisions, she was just off the pace in the outside group.
Over the final few hundred meters Kentucky Miss and Oliver started to come hard and fast and had enough in the tank to hold off the fast-finishing Beyond The Dream who put in a brilliant debut down the far outside.
Kentucky Miss ($4) had a couple of strides to spare over the Yoshitomo Shima-trained Beyond The Dream ($201) from Ballarat who put the value in the quinella, while the returning Peter & Paul Snowden-trained My Country ($9) led the outside division and was only collared late to cross third.
“Really strong little filly who was really well placed here today,” Oliver said of Kentucky Miss post-win.
“She likes the short course around 1000 to 1100m.
“She travelled super today.”
Pride was also pleased with the run and how the filly handled being without cover down the straight.
“It wasn’t the plan to race without cover and she was really strong today,” he said.
“She was exposed a long way out and kept going to the line.
“She’s quite a diminutive little filly but she’s got a big heart and tries very well.”
Pride said he would consider sticking to original plans to target the $200,000 Group 3 Red Roses Stakes (1100m) on Oaks Day, November 3, while the autumn options next year also looked promising.
“I was planning on bringing her back on Oaks Day in the fillies’ race, but there are other options as I think she’ll measure up in the autumn and could take on the older horses with the weight release,” he said.
“She’s got the stakes win out of the way now.”
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2016 Cap D’Antibes Stakes Results & Finishing Order
Flemington Race 2 – 10/09/2016
| Place | # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Br. | Wgt. | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | KENTUCKY MISS | Joseph Pride | Damien Oliver | – | 18 | 55kg | $4F |
| 2 | 18 | BEYOND THE DREAM | Yoshitomo Shima | Yusuke Ichikawa | 0.3L | 16 | 55kg | $201 |
| 3 | 4 | MY COUNTRY | Peter & Paul Snowden | Dwayne Dunn | 0.4L | 13 | 56kg | $9 |
| 4 | 9 | SUPER TOO | Marc Conners | Ms Winona Costin | 0.7L | 2 | 55kg | $16 |
| 5 | 3 | HAPPY EVENT | John Zielke | Bobby El-Issa | 2.95L | 7 | 56kg | $10 |
| 6 | 1 | MISSROCK | Robbie Laing | Mark Zahra | 3.05L | 5 | 57kg | $5.50 |
| 7 | 14 | CONSCIOUS | Leon & Troy Corstens | Craig Williams | 3.15L | 8 | 55kg | $21 |
| 8 | 12 | ARIAZ | Robbie Griffiths | Ryan Maloney | 3.65L | 10 | 55kg | $8.50 |
| 9 | 10 | NAJMAAT | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | Damian Lane | 3.75L | 9 | 55kg | $15 |
| 10 | 16 | ANGASI | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | Regan Bayliss (a) | 3.85L | 15 | 55kg | $21 |
| 11 | 5 | SELENIA | Robbie Griffiths | Jye McNeil (a) | 4.6L | 14 | 56kg | $15 |
| 12 | 2 | FLYING JESS | John Moloney | Jordan Childs (a) | 5.6L | 17 | 57kg | $71 |
| 13 | 13 | VIENNA WALTZ | Stuart Webb | Michael Dee (a) | 7.6L | 1 | 55kg | $201 |
| 14 | 19 | SEA SPRING | Leon & Troy Corstens | Daniel Moor | 7.8L | 11 | 55kg | $201 |
| 15 | 17 | SOCIAL STATUS | Leon & Troy Corstens | Chris Parnham | 9.55L | 3 | 55kg | $151 |
| 16 | 15 | GETEMHEL (NZ) | Nigel Blackiston | Patrick Moloney | 11.3L | 12 | 55kg | $12 |
| 17 | 6 | SO SERENE | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | Luke Currie | 11.4L | 6 | 55kg | $51 |
| 18 | 8 | KINETIC DESIGN | Stuart Webb | Ben Melham | 14.15L | 4 | 55kg | $101 |
| – | 11 | WANT TO ROCK | Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra | Ms Katelyn Mallyon | – | 0 | – | – |
