Karuta Queen will not be seen for the rest of the Sydney autumn with trainer Neville Layt electing to spell the filly after another underwhelming performance in the Maurice McCarten Stakes last Saturday.
Photo by Racing and Sports
Karuta Queen has been a shadow of her best this campaign and was once again well accounted for last start when an 11.5 length ninth in the $100,000 Maurice McCarten Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill.
Last Saturday's underwhelming effort has prompted trainer Neville Layt to spell the speedy filly with a view to the spring.
“She is going to the paddock tomorrow morning,” Layt said.
“We will give her a good spell until July.
“She will go down to Heritage Park where she was broken in and she knows the place back to front.
“I'm just going to let her have a real good rest.”
The Maurice McCarten Stakes was Karuta Queen's final chance to justify a autumn campaign aimed at some of Sydney's feature sprint events such at the TJ Smith.
The Not A Single Doubt filly last Saturday was away moderately however was one of the first horses beaten in the event won by the Joe Pride-trained Title.
Layt acknowledged Karuta Queen hasn't come up this preparation but is hopeful his speed machine returns rejuvenated after her upcoming break.
“Things have gone belly up for the little filly ever since that day in Melbourne and then Warwick Farm,” Layt said.
“It all started at Melbourne. She was standing in the barriers for four minutes beside that ratbag [Here De Angels] and when he went off it didn't help her cause.
“Everything has gone against her. She jumped alright on Saturday but she was the first beaten.”
“She'll have a real good spell, get mentally fixed up. She will come back, she is too tough not to come back.”
Karuta Queen's subsequent spring campaign is expected to be entirely based in Melbourne at this stage where the filly has put in some of her career best runs.
Her first start in Melbourne yielded a second behind Black Caviar in the Group 2 Schillaci Stakes (1000m) prior to winning the Group 3 Australia Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley.
“We will get her back and ready to go down to Melbourne for the spring carnival,” Layt said.
“She seems to like the Melbourne way of racing.”
Stablemates Our Brightest Star and Red Excitement will also be on the float trip to Heritage Park tomorrow after their respective campaigns.
Our Brightest Star only just missed out on recording some valuable black type two starts back when fourth in the Listed Canberra Guineas (1400m) behind She Goes To Rio.
The Snitzel filly was then disappointing in the Albury Guineas last start.
“Our Brightest Star I think there is a Listed win in her,” Layt said.
“You take a line through the horses in the Canberra Guineas. That filly [She Goes To Rio] who won it only beat us just more than a length and came out and just got nutted by a head yesterday in the Keith Nolan.
“She is up there with the better class fillies and as a four-year-old there should be some nice races for her.”
Lightning Ridge Plate winner Red Excitement is also expected to come back better next campaign after being well held last start behind Pierro in the Group 2 Todman Stakes (1200m).
“When he comes back and you drop him back three or four pegs he will win his fair share of races in town as well,” Layt said.
“I think he will make a beautiful three-year-old but in saying that he did win the Lightning Ridge and the Inglis Bonus which came with it so it was worth running him as a two-year-old.”
“These three will leave tomorrow morning to go to Heritage and I will bring three more out of the paddock to fill their boxes.”
One which may be worth keeping an eye on is Snitzel colt Another Grand.
Another Grand will make his race debut at Canberra's Thoroughbred Park on Friday in a 1000m 2YO Handicap.
The colt goes into the race after winning a 900m barrier trial at Queanbeyan by 1.3 lengths on March 10.
“I've got three babies trialling on Saturday and I've got a nice big Snitzel two-year-old running on Friday,” Layt said.
“He is near 17 hands and is only a two-year-old. He is a big boy and he can gallop with it which is the good part.
“I'll have three in the two-year-old race.”
Another Grand is out of King Cugat mare Dulcina who is a half to Group 1 winning mare Absolut Glam and dual stakes winner Nobby Snip.
