Juliette
Trish Dunell
Brendon Hawtin has nothing to lose and much to gain by pitting promising filly Juliette into Saturday's Gr.2 Wellington Seamarket Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1200m) at Trentham.
The Waikato trainer goes into the two-year-old feature seeking important black-type status for the Poet's Voice filly, who races in the familiar colours of majority owner Tommy Heptinstall.
"She ran fourth at her last start in the Murdoch Newell [Listed race at Pukekohe] so we think she deserves her chance," Hawtin said.
"She just came to the end of it the other day, but that race has tightened her up beautifully.
"It's only a small field of eight runners for $100,000. It's a Group Two race and she's a filly so if she could get some black-type we'd be over the moon. She's going very well and we think she'll be very competitive."
Juliette is currently rated a $7.20 third favourite in the TAB's fixed odds market.
Gift Of Power, who is unbeaten in two starts culminating in her Listed Wellesley Stakes win at Trentham, opened as the $1.95 favourite, ahead of Ruakaka debut winner Melody Belle at $3.30.
If Juliette can snare a significant share of the Wakefield prize money, that would go a long way to securing her a start in the Karaka Million (1200m) at Ellerslie on January 29 —Hawtin's long-range target for the filly.
"Tommy races Waldorf and the Karaka Million is his aim as well and he's a long way down the road to making the field, so it would be great if we could get this filly in as well, " Hawtin said. - NZ Racing Desk.
The Waikato trainer goes into the two-year-old feature seeking important black-type status for the Poet's Voice filly, who races in the familiar colours of majority owner Tommy Heptinstall.
"She ran fourth at her last start in the Murdoch Newell [Listed race at Pukekohe] so we think she deserves her chance," Hawtin said.
"She just came to the end of it the other day, but that race has tightened her up beautifully.
"It's only a small field of eight runners for $100,000. It's a Group Two race and she's a filly so if she could get some black-type we'd be over the moon. She's going very well and we think she'll be very competitive."
Juliette is currently rated a $7.20 third favourite in the TAB's fixed odds market.
Gift Of Power, who is unbeaten in two starts culminating in her Listed Wellesley Stakes win at Trentham, opened as the $1.95 favourite, ahead of Ruakaka debut winner Melody Belle at $3.30.
If Juliette can snare a significant share of the Wakefield prize money, that would go a long way to securing her a start in the Karaka Million (1200m) at Ellerslie on January 29 —Hawtin's long-range target for the filly.
"Tommy races Waldorf and the Karaka Million is his aim as well and he's a long way down the road to making the field, so it would be great if we could get this filly in as well, " Hawtin said. - NZ Racing Desk.
