Blanco Cara
Bradley Photography
The prospect of a dry track has boosted the chances of New Zealand-bred filly Blanco Cara in the Group One Queensland Oaks.
The switch of the race to Doomben means a distance reduction from 2400m to 2200m and fine weather in Brisbane has John Thompson hopeful he can be the trainer holding the Oaks trophy.
Blanco Cara finished midfield in the Gr.2 Adrian Knox on a heavy track during the Sydney autumn carnival and Thompson elected to miss the ATC Australian Oaks because of the prospect of another wet track.
Instead he set Blanco Cara for the Queensland Oaks and hoped for dry conditions.
Blanco Cara has already been to Queensland this winter, finishing fifth in the Gold Coast Bracelet on May 6.
Thompson had then intended to run the filly in the traditional Oaks lead-up, the Doomben Roses, on May 20.
"She drew wide and there was a forecast for plenty of rain. She doesn't like really wet tracks and as it turned out the track was heavy at Doomben," Thompson said.
"So instead she ran in a race at Newcastle and got the job done with a win."
Thompson thinks Blanco Cara is well up to a Group One race at this time of the year.
"Her run in the Bracelet was good and she had no luck. To finish as close as she did to the winner Dawn Wall was a nice effort," he said.
"She has won up to 2300 metres so the distance of 2200 (metres) on Saturday will be no trouble."
Blanco Cara, who is raced by one of Jamie Walter's Proven Thoroughbreds syndicates, is by the Galileo stallion Cape Blanco who stands at Cambridge Stud and is gradually building up a reputation as a sire of stayers in Australasia.
Fine weather is forecast for the rest of the week in Brisbane and track manager Jim Roberts believes the rating will be in the good range. -AAP
The switch of the race to Doomben means a distance reduction from 2400m to 2200m and fine weather in Brisbane has John Thompson hopeful he can be the trainer holding the Oaks trophy.
Blanco Cara finished midfield in the Gr.2 Adrian Knox on a heavy track during the Sydney autumn carnival and Thompson elected to miss the ATC Australian Oaks because of the prospect of another wet track.
Instead he set Blanco Cara for the Queensland Oaks and hoped for dry conditions.
Blanco Cara has already been to Queensland this winter, finishing fifth in the Gold Coast Bracelet on May 6.
Thompson had then intended to run the filly in the traditional Oaks lead-up, the Doomben Roses, on May 20.
"She drew wide and there was a forecast for plenty of rain. She doesn't like really wet tracks and as it turned out the track was heavy at Doomben," Thompson said.
"So instead she ran in a race at Newcastle and got the job done with a win."
Thompson thinks Blanco Cara is well up to a Group One race at this time of the year.
"Her run in the Bracelet was good and she had no luck. To finish as close as she did to the winner Dawn Wall was a nice effort," he said.
"She has won up to 2300 metres so the distance of 2200 (metres) on Saturday will be no trouble."
Blanco Cara, who is raced by one of Jamie Walter's Proven Thoroughbreds syndicates, is by the Galileo stallion Cape Blanco who stands at Cambridge Stud and is gradually building up a reputation as a sire of stayers in Australasia.
Fine weather is forecast for the rest of the week in Brisbane and track manager Jim Roberts believes the rating will be in the good range. -AAP