A dazzling track workout on Tuesday morning has left owner-trainer Shane Quadrio and his son Dylan bubbling with confidence that the filly has the brilliance to win the $50,000 Daintys Daughter Classic at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“Dylan was over the moon with her work,” said Shane Quadrio. “He said that she worked as good as she ever has.”
Black Jack Baby, the winner at nine of her 15 starts, is awkwardly drawn at barrier No. 7. But she is essentially a sit-sprinter and Chris Voak is most unlikely to get involved in early speed battles and is sure to be relying on her outstanding sprinting qualities.
She started from the outside in a field of eight last Friday night and was sixth in the one-wide line at the bell before she unleashed a sparkling four-wide burst with just over 300m to travel to take a narrow lead on the home turn before finishing a neck second to Always An Angel, who raced in the one-out, one-back position for much of the way before finishing strongly.
“With her speed Black Jack Baby will always be in the race,” said Quadrio Snr. “Her latest run was superb, and if you check her times, her sectionals were sensational. She has pulled up in fantastic shape.”
Black Jack Baby was timed to run her final 800m in 54.37sec. and her last 400m in 26.73sec.
Always An Angel fared better in the random draw and will start from the No. 3 barrier as she seeks to extend her winning sequence to seven. Her performance last Friday night, at her first appearance for 38 weeks was impressive.
She will again be driven by Gary Hall Jnr, who said: “Rumour Has It, from barrier one, obviously wants to lead. I’m two draws away from being very happy, but I’m happy where we are. American Arma looks well above average and Black Jack Baby is going super.”
The New Zealand-bred Always An Angel is prepared at Boyanup by Justin Prentice, who is hoping for a change of fortune in the Daintys Daughter Classic after seconds with Racketeers Girl (2011), The Parade (2014) and Quite A Delight (2015) and a ninth placing with 5/4 favourite Lady Luca in 2017.
Chris Lewis gives Rumour Has It (bred, owned and trained by his wife Debra) a good chance. He advises punters to disregard the filly’s wilting sixth behind Black Jack Baby three weeks ago when she revealed good gate speed from barrier four before working hard in the breeze.
Rumour Has It has plenty of ability and her 11 starts have produced five wins and four second placings. “We will hold up from barrier one,” declared Lewis. “She just had a night off at her latest run. All horses are entitled to have a night off. She’s fairly tough and can lead as well as race without cover.”
Lewis and Colin Brown are the most successful drivers in the Daintys Daughter Classic, with each having won the race three times. Lewis has been successful with Five Hundred More (2005), Sheer Royalty (2009) and Double Expresso (2020) and Brown has won with Centrefold Angel (2010), Gota Good Lookadda (2-13) and Typhoon Tiff (2019).
Brown has two runners from his Banjup stables engaged in this week’s classic Joelene (a half-sister to Typhoon Tiff who set the pace and won by two lengths from Arma Indie in this event two years ago) and American Arma.
Brown will handle American Arma, who will start from the outside of the back line, and Dylan Egerton-Green will drive Joelene from barrier two on the back line.
American Arma has had only six starts for five wins and a second to smart colt Sugar Street, and Brown is confident of a strong first-up showing from the filly who will be having her first start for eight weeks.
American Arma last appeared on December 24 when she started from barrier seven, settled in sixth position, dashed forward to the breeze at the 1200m and went on to win from the pacemaker Rumour Has It, when the last 800m was covered in 57sec.
“After that run American Arma had ten days off, followed by ten days swimming in our dam before she was worked up and was ready to race in the Daintys Daughter Classic two weeks ago,” Brown said. “But the meeting was abandoned. She was very fit then and since then she jogs and swims every day and is hoppled for fast work.”
Brown is confident of a strong performance from American Arma and said that Joelene was far from impossible.
“American Arma is a better-class filly, but if she has to do too much work Joelene is capable of surprising,” he said. “Joelene will improve on her third behind Always An Angel and Black Jack Baby last week when she led from barrier one.
“Burning early is not her caper, and this week from her back-line draw she will get a great sit, and I don’t care how fast they go, she will be hitting the line strongly, providing she doesn’t do any work.”
Ken Casellas