Fast-progressing Gregory McFarlane filly Jamie’s Star looks set to notch a third win this campaign when she steps out in the Orange City Council Three-year-old Country Plate (1280m).
Photo by Racing and Sports
Up against just five other rivals, the daughter of Oratorio is well placed to take the next step of her progressive career.
She’s been given 17 days to prepare for this one after a gutsy win in three-year-old grade at Mudgee earlier this month.
After jumping awkwardly on that occasion she balanced up to sit midfield, chased hard in the straight and just poked her head in front.
The run netted a weight-adjusted Timeform figure of 68, a solid improvement on her prior run where she finished fifth against midweek metropolitan opposition at Canterbury last month.
She’s drawn the widest gate today so it’s important jockey Kevin May finds a nice spot and doesn’t get posted too wide.
He might well opt to take her to the rear and give her a chance to wind up in the straight.
Carrying 57kg, she looks very tough to beat.
Three-time winner Classical Melody looks the biggest danger, despite a poor resuming run.
Jamie’s Star beat her by almost five lengths in that race at Mudgee and the pair meet each other equally at the weights today, but Classical Melody is open to substantial improvement.
She jumped awkwardly at Mudgee and her saddle slipped, scuppering any chance she had of winning the race.
Put a red line through that one and pretend it never happened. Handy bush jockey Mathew Cahill jumps aboard today and should give her every chance.
She’s a second-up winner and showed enough last campaign to suggest she’s well up to this one.
Two runs prior to a spell she won an open three-year-old race at Narromine, running a weight-adjusted Timeform figure of 74.
Clearly if she gets away cleanly this time and rediscovers that form, she’ll give herself every chance to win this one.
Especially with the blinkers going back on.
Jenny’s Got Cha is still a maiden but looks the next best in this one.
She wasn’t far away at Narromine last start over 1300m and should give this a fair shake.
