Daughter of Casino Prince will line up in Saturday's Dane Ripper Stakes ahead of a final Group 1 tilt
Sweet Deal (Casino Prince), who was bought by Lustre Lodge for $850,000 at the recent Inglis Chairman’s Sale, will have her penultimate start in Saturday's Dane Ripper Stakes (Gr 2, 1300m) before she attempts to bow out a Group 1 winner in the Tattersall’s Tiara (Gr 1, 1400m) ater this month.
Trained by John Thompson, Sweet Deal finished second in the Helen Coughlan Stakes (Listed, 1200m), when she got back to last from an awkward gate, since she sold at the Chairman’s Sale. A four-time Group 3 winner, the daughter of Casino Prince (Flying Spur) is usually an on-speed runner and was deliberately ridden conservatively after her training routine was interrupted by the sales process.
"She missed a bit of work between Hawkesbury and that run. She spent a week at the sales then we gave her a week at the farm to freshen up and get over the sales," Thompson said.
"As usual, she did a bit well in that time so she went into that race a little bit underdone, that's why we rode her quietly from an outside draw.
"From a better draw on Saturday, she should be a lot closer. She is definitely back to where she needs to be (fitness-wise)."
Sweet Deal has drawn ideally in barrier four for Saturday's Dane Ripper Stakes and is a $4.80 pre-post favourite.
The fillies and mares' feature has attracted a bumper field including the resuming Funstar (Adelaide), Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Odeum (Written Tycoon) and Madam Rouge (Zoustar), who has been scratched from the Stradbroke Handicap (Gr 1, 1400m) in preference for the Dane Ripper Stakes.
