Queen Roulette
STC
Sunday's Group 3 Jumbo Jet Trophy (1400m) will indisputably take centrestage this weekend, but on the same day, there is one match-race which may not steal its thunder but which will certainly do its fair share to put bums on seats– Fitzroy versus Queen Roulette.
Fitzroy, Cliff Brown's exciting three-year-old, thrashed his rivals at his comeback race on August 19, albeit in a modest Class 4 Division 1 race over 1200m.
With a track record of having run up close to gun three-year-old and fellow stablemate Debt Collector as well as other smart peers like Magnum and Nova Strike, the son of Swiss Ace would start as the overwhelming favourite in the $75,000 Graduation race over 1200m on any given day.
But right down the basement end of the entries a most unlikely challenger has risen from nowhere. Just a few months ago, Queen Roulette by unfashionable sire Ruwi, was just picking her way around two-year-olds, taking a beating from Jupiter Gold and Lim's Racer, although not too far behind.
Then she suddenly exploded onto the scene. Leslie Khoo's unassuming little filly "with the white tuft of white hair on her back" first demolished a field of two-year-olds on July 15 before taking it to another level in a handy Novice race made up of upstarts such as Paperback Trooper, Knight Chen Bay and Super Hero.
On that day, she effortlessly plotted her own path on the outside to leave her rivals in her wake en route to giving her rider Nooresh Juglall a memorable five-timer.
Juglall will be the pilot again, but Khoo knows it will be a different kettle of fish this time.
Khoo and Brown were at the barrier trials on Tuesday and exchanged some friendly banter about the mouth-watering clash with the weight factor the critical decider.
"I think Cliff will still be hard to beat even if he is giving me some weight, and I'm not talking about our own weights!" joked the former jockey as he stood next to the stronger-built Australian.
"The mare has maintained her form since her win, but Fitzroy is a very good horse and won very impressively at his comeback race.
"No doubt there is an eight-kilo difference but Juglall will ride one-and-a-half kilo over, which brings it to a six-and-a-half kilo pull. She is no doubt the best horse in my stable right now, even though she is quite an ugly duckling with her funny white hairs!
"It will be an exciting match as both are up-and-coming horses but don't rule out the other horses. You never know in horse racing."
Brown, who also saddles outsiders Certainly and Golden Mile in the same race, certainly reciprocated the respect towards Khoo's mare, but had every confidence in his charge to rise to the occasion.
"Leslie's filly won a very nice race. She's just turned three but the big pull in weights levels things up," he said.
"Fitzroy has trained on and is in good shape. May the best horse win." -STC
Fitzroy, Cliff Brown's exciting three-year-old, thrashed his rivals at his comeback race on August 19, albeit in a modest Class 4 Division 1 race over 1200m.
With a track record of having run up close to gun three-year-old and fellow stablemate Debt Collector as well as other smart peers like Magnum and Nova Strike, the son of Swiss Ace would start as the overwhelming favourite in the $75,000 Graduation race over 1200m on any given day.
But right down the basement end of the entries a most unlikely challenger has risen from nowhere. Just a few months ago, Queen Roulette by unfashionable sire Ruwi, was just picking her way around two-year-olds, taking a beating from Jupiter Gold and Lim's Racer, although not too far behind.
Then she suddenly exploded onto the scene. Leslie Khoo's unassuming little filly "with the white tuft of white hair on her back" first demolished a field of two-year-olds on July 15 before taking it to another level in a handy Novice race made up of upstarts such as Paperback Trooper, Knight Chen Bay and Super Hero.
On that day, she effortlessly plotted her own path on the outside to leave her rivals in her wake en route to giving her rider Nooresh Juglall a memorable five-timer.
Juglall will be the pilot again, but Khoo knows it will be a different kettle of fish this time.
Khoo and Brown were at the barrier trials on Tuesday and exchanged some friendly banter about the mouth-watering clash with the weight factor the critical decider.
"I think Cliff will still be hard to beat even if he is giving me some weight, and I'm not talking about our own weights!" joked the former jockey as he stood next to the stronger-built Australian.
"The mare has maintained her form since her win, but Fitzroy is a very good horse and won very impressively at his comeback race.
"No doubt there is an eight-kilo difference but Juglall will ride one-and-a-half kilo over, which brings it to a six-and-a-half kilo pull. She is no doubt the best horse in my stable right now, even though she is quite an ugly duckling with her funny white hairs!
"It will be an exciting match as both are up-and-coming horses but don't rule out the other horses. You never know in horse racing."
Brown, who also saddles outsiders Certainly and Golden Mile in the same race, certainly reciprocated the respect towards Khoo's mare, but had every confidence in his charge to rise to the occasion.
"Leslie's filly won a very nice race. She's just turned three but the big pull in weights levels things up," he said.
"Fitzroy has trained on and is in good shape. May the best horse win." -STC