Spitfire Rose will be long odds in Friday Night’s Harness Racing Breeders Victoria Richmond Lass, but trainer Bruce Morgan believes she is more than capable of causing an upset.
Born in Western Australia, Spitfire Rose started her career in Tasmania before stints with Adam Kelly in Victoria, John Tapp in New South Wales and now with Morgan in Bendigo.
The latter certainly knows what it takes to train a good filly/mare, having put the polish on 1999 Australian Oaks winner Mother Courage.
Spitfire Rose, by Jeremes Jet out of Weona Beachley, has been under Morgan’s tutelage for two months and has run terrific races without winning.
“She has been pretty consistent since she arrived,” Morgan said. "She has plenty of class about her and is a lovely mare. She can be a little bit of an enigma, however.
“I think she is in pretty good form and she has been running good times. She has drawn well again with a gun driver (Greg Sugars) and I think she will be more than competitive.”
A prolific winner early in her career, Spitfire Rose has been out of the winner's stall for some time and that certainly has Morgan surprised.
“She has never won a race on the Australian mainland as yet. She was with John Tapp and Adam Kelly and run a stack of places without being able to win.”
Morgan admits that tonight’s race is very tough, and said Emma Stewart's outstanding mare Gumdrops was the class horse of the race
“(Gumdrops) has very high speed, which you need to have. She does have a bad barrier draw, but good horses can overcome that” Morgan said.
Matt Jackson