By Ray Hickson
Clarry Conners says it’s a ‘privilege’ to be asked to train a blueblood like The Hawkesbury and is confident the filly can do enough at her namesake course on Wednesday to force her way into the Group 1 Surround Stakes.
.The daughter of Frankel and More Joyous holds several Group 1 nominations through the autumn and Conners said the Clarendon Tavern Handicap (1300m) might only be a benchmark 64 but it’s an important stepping stone.
“I was privileged to have her, I’m very thankful to have a horse of her breeding and the responsibility of looking after a horse of her value comes into thought too,’’ Conners said.
“She shows a lot of promise.
“I’m going there thinking that she can win and she’ll run in the Surround then and go through the normal fillies campaign.”
The Hawkesbury, $1.90 with TAB on Tuesday, made an impressive debut on a heavy track at Kembla Grange back in November, scoring by 3-1/2 lengths.
Conners then elected to give her a break and she returned at Newcastle on February 3 as a short-priced favourite and went down by half a length in a performance the trainer said he can forgive.
“Kembla was soft and Newcastle was very hard, it went against her a bit being a big filly,’’ he said.
“She was going to beat them and just didn’t like the hard track.”
Nash Rawiller heads to Hawkesbury to ride the filly for the first time in a race and Conners has laid out a somewhat traditional path through the carnival should he get the result he anticipates.
The filly holds a host of Group 1 nominations through the carnival and Conners said the Group 3 Kembla Grange Classic (1600m) and Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) are the steps into the Group 1 Australian Oaks (2400m).
The Surround Stakes (1400m) is run at Randwick on Saturday week so there’s a bit on the line on Wednesday.
“I’ve got to get her benchmark up otherwise she won’t get a run,’’ Conners said.
“I had her in the Vanity in Melbourne but the track was hard there, I thought the 1200m was a bit nippy for her (Light Fingers) so we decided to pull the pin on them and go to Hawkesbury.”
Jessandi makes her stable debut for Conners in the same race and the stakes aren’t nearly as high for the five-year-old.
A winner of three from 24, Jessandi has been more adept on top of the ground but Conners said it’s a good starting point for the mare.
“She’s trialled okay but her distance is a mile or 2000m. She’s a nice mare and that will only improve,’’ he said.
And two-year-old gelding Iceman will be out to improve on what he showed on debut in the HRC Motel Handicap (1300m) after failing to beat a runner home first-up three weeks ago.
Conners said he is showing some ability but if still very much a novice and has added winkers to help him concentrate.
“He was a bit disappointing but it’s not a real strong race so I’m hoping he can run a good race. He’s a wayward horse and does things wrong,’’ he said.