Quality mare chasing another Group One title

A bold showing on Boxing Day will fast track Rollout The Carpet’s return to Group One company.

The J & N Berkett Telegraph at Trentham on January 17 is the target for the mare, whose career has been punctuated by injuries, if she races up to expectations in the Listed Hallmark Stud Newmarket Handicap.

“We’ll see how she goes and the owners are very keen for her to get there,” said co-trainer Emma-Lee Browne, who prepares the five-year-old with her father Jeff McVean at Cambridge.

Rollout The Carpet hasn’t raced since two unplaced performances during the Queensland winter carnival.

“She’s come up very well and has had one quiet trial and a jump-out since then,” Browne said.

“She will need a run, but we expect her to be competitive on Boxing Day.”

The winner of the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas two years ago, Rollout The Carpet has raced only seven times since her Riccarton glory day, but did show her Group One ability in the autumn when third in Albany Reunion’s Easter Handicap.

“We’re really pleased to see her back and hopefully we can get a bit of a run going with her now,” Browne said.

Meanwhile, Stratocaster is also progressing well toward a return to racing after his fifth in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas.

“The draw didn’t really help him a lot,” Browne said. “It was a beautiful ride by Craig (Grylls), but in hindsight he is a better horse when he’s ridden quietly.

“It was a Group One though and we had to use that draw. He was also going through a bit of a growth spurt and the couple of weeks he had out have done him a lot of good.”

The winner of one of his five starts, Stratocaster will resume in the Listed Karaka 3YO Mile at Ellerslie on January 25.

“We’ll pick a path toward the Derby after that,” Browne said.