Plenty of Quality in Adelaide on Saturday
- Wednesday, 15 January 2003 00:00
The Queen Adelaide - for two-year-olds, has drawn a talented line-up comprising a number of speedy juveniles.
Rainbow Echo and Regrowth, from the in-form Tony McEvoy stable - are both debut winners and are sure to feature in the rich two-year-old races over the autumn.
Regrowth won at Cheltenham Park on debut and Rainbow Echo went close to record time over the short course at Murray Bridge.
"This race was never in our plans for Regrowth but she showed enough pace on debut to force a re-think," McEvoy said. "There is a bit of form from the race and she has trained on well so she'll have this run, then maybe run in the Breeders' Stakes. We'll wait and see what to do with her after that, but she's bred to get over a bit further. She's a big, long stretchy filly and will only get better with time."
"Rainbow Echo showed excellent pace on debut and won very impressively in good time. She is more suited at this sort of distance of the two but both are good chances."
They line up against the John Hawkes-trained Flew, who has already recorded two city wins, as well as the diminutive Cashkalani - trained by David Balfour - another who has won her last two starts in town.
Stablemate Champagne Gold is stakes placed in the Fulham Park Plate and finished runner-up to Flew last start.
Add some well-bred debutants, such as the Mark Kavanagh-trained Cointreau Ball, and the race adds spice to what is shaping as a good meeting.
The other feature - the Feltex New Year's Gift - has drawn together an excellent line-up of local sprinters, including the Christmas Handicap winner and third pacegetter - Get Up and Devil In Disguise.
But the interesting runner is another for the McEvoy stable - former West Australian mare Lady Knockout.
The mare, which was purchased by McEvoy on behalf of a Victorian client - has recorded three wins and two placings from just seven starts - but has already proven herself in stakes company. She has won the Listed Belmont Guineas and Belmont Oaks, before placing in the Belmont Classic at her final run before a break.
"She has some talent and her record reads very well," McEvoy said. "It's difficult to line up the form but she is a dual stakes winner and has performed in all sorts on conditions. She will be aimed at staying races eventually, but we'll run her in this, then the C.S Hayes Memorial and the Tokyo City Cup a fortnight later. If she measures up, we may look at something like the Easter Cup."
Along with the two feature races, Saturday's meeting heralds the return of talented sprinters Lazing About and Regal Kiss.
Lazing About, a nine-year-old, is returning from an injury-enforced break but is "jumping out his skin", according to trainer Peter Jolly, while Regal Kiss, prepared by Leon Macdonald, is also returning to try to recapture her old form before retiring.
She is in foal to Giant's Causeway and may have this and another run - perhaps the Swettenham Stud Stakes - before finishing her career at stud.
Media Release - Jason Hickson (TRSA)
