PROMISING Excites filly Amber’s Crown will take home the best part of $250,000 if she can keep her unbeaten record intact and snare the next leg of the $1.5 QTIS race series later this month.
The Steven O’Dea trained two-year-old returned to racing last weekend after a short spell leading throughout to post her second successive career win at the Gold Coast.
”It was a good win again,” O’Dea said,” and came on a really heavy track so she showed that she is pretty adaptable, she’s won on top on the ground and now she’s won in the wet.
”Also when she won her first start she came from last and then lead throughout on Saturday.”
Amber’s Crown win took her earnings to $27,000, essentially doubling her cost price at the 2009 Magic Millions National Weanling sale on the Gold Coast.
Now, O’Dea and the filly’s owner, Joe Rapisrada are in line for a massive return should they be able to win the QTIS race at the God Coast on March 19.
”She hasn’t been in hard races leading up to it, but at this time of year I wouldn’t expect it to be a really, really strong race and obviously being restricted to QTIS-eligible horses, it limits the field a little bit.
”It’s obviously going to be a harder race than what she won on Saturday but at the same time I think she’s up to that sort of company.”
While it is not certain whether Amber’s Crown will compete at the Brisbane winter carnival, the lure of the rich QTIS race series will take precedence over black-type at this stage.
”Because she’s registered for QTIS the plan is to make the most out of those races,” O’Dea explained.
”Possibly she could go out and have a little freshen-up and come back for a race like the Douglas Wadley – which they call the Lancaster Stakes now – it’s a race for two-year-old fillies.
”I can’t see her having any trouble getting up to 1200 metres at least, we haven’t tested her past 900m but at the moment she looks like a 1000 – 1200 metre horse.”
MEANWHILE, Buyers at next week’s Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale have two opportunities to secure an Excites for themselves.
Lot 175 from South Australian based Little Hills Pastoral Company is a chestnut filly out of the city-winning Brave Deed whose three foals to the race have all won.
The filly’s grand-dam, Bravitian (by Without Fear) was runner in the Blue Diamond Prelude and placed third in the Prelude.
Excites’ only other Adelaide sale entrant is Lot 188 from Gerry Harvey’s Baramul Stud.
The filly, also a chestnut, is a half to four winners including Mossman juvenile Double Impact who has won twice this year including the first official 2YO race of the season.