The horse looks the part, the training gallops have been completed on schedule and the jockey is happy.
But the best pointer to the chances of Blue Diamond Stakes winner Samaready when she returns to racing at Caulfield on Saturday is the internal effect she’s had on trainer Mick Price.
“My gut feeling is good, I’m thinking she can win,” Price said.
“She’s had a good preparation, a couple of jump-outs, but not hard ones.
“She worked nicely here today on the course proper and was really happy and strong.”
The daughter of More Than Ready makes her three-year-old debut in the Listed Quezette Stakes (1100m), a race that has attracted a worthy field of challengers to Victoria’s top juvenile of last season.
The expected opposition to Samaready is headed by the unbeaten filly Elite Elle and includes the Peter Moody-trained trio Convene, Ephemera and Mareeza, Mama’s Choice from the David Hayes stable and Members Joy, trained by Robert Smerdon.
But all of them would need to display something they so far haven’t to be rated alongside Samaready.
“If she’s going to run in the races we’ve got planned for her she should be up to this,” Price said.
“If she feels the pinch on Saturday, I won’t be surprised.
“But horses like her usually find enough to win these races.”
Samaready is destined for the Group One Golden Rose (1400m) at Rosehill on September 15, a race that could help ease the pain of her defeat in last autumn’s Golden Slipper.
The Melbourne filly started favourite in Sydney’s richest race and ran well coming from beyond midfield to finish third to triple crown-winning colt Pierro.
Before that she’d asserted herself as the top juvenile filly in the country with her win in the Reisling Stakes at Rosehill, and Price is confident she can do the same as a three-year-old in the Golden Rose.
“I think 1400 metres is well within her reach, especially at Rosehill,” he said.
“And you can’t say no to a one million dollar race.”
