Clarry Conners will chase his first juvenile winner of the season on Saturday but could be denied by the offspring of one of his former stars.
The four-time Golden Slipper winning trainer will start Choisir filly Recess in the WF 100 Club Returns 2012 Handicap (1200m) at Warwick Farm.
But it’s the Gai Waterhouse-trained No Looking Back which has been supported into clear favouritism.
No Looking Back is the first foal of 2006 Magic Millions winner Mirror Mirror and has firmed from $3.60 to $2.60 with TAB Sportsbet since the market opened on Wednesday.
“She (Mirror Mirror) won a Gimcrack Stakes and a Magic Millions,” Conners, who trained Mirror Mirror in her four start career, said.
“She was a pretty good filly.”
Conners had hoped owner-breeder John Singleton would keep the Mirror Mirror filly and give it to him to train.
But she went through the Magic Millions sale ring earlier this year and was knocked down to Waterhouse for $500,000.
The filly is raced by several owners including Nick Vass who has been a long-time client of the Waterhouse stable.
Recess, who is on the third line of betting at $4.20, is also a Magic Millions graduate and makes her debut on the back of two trials including a two length win over 800m at Warwick Farm on Tuesday.
“Everything I’ve done with her she has just done professionally so far, but I haven’t pushed her yet,” Conners said.
“She’s a lovely big filly. Big as a mountain. I’m pretty happy with her.”
Conners hasn’t had much luck with barrier draws with his two-year-old brigade so far this season but Recess will jump from the inside gate on Saturday.
“As soon as I looked at barrier one, I said `I bet it will be a soft track now and the fence will be off’,” Conners said.
Recess was a $38,000 yearling and Conners will be guided by her performance as he contemplates a possible Gold Coast trip in January.
“If she can get there I will have her there,” he said.
“If she’s good enough only time will tell when she comes up against the big boys. There’s still a long way to go and there’s heaps of improvement in her.”
AAP TURF
