Well bred filly Harpers will be looking to prove her Blue Diamond credentials when she makes her race debut at Flemington.
The daughter of Exceed And Excel and 2005 Golden Slipper placegetter Media has impressed the Peter Snowden stable ahead of Saturday’s Spotless Plate (1000m).
Melbourne stable manager Paul Snowden said Harpers was a tough filly who had shown ability in a barrier trial.
“She has thrown to her mother in that she is getting there for the early races and has obviously shown something at home,” Snowden said.
“She’s strong and coping with the work well.”
Media won the 2004 Listed Gimcrack Stakes at her race debut and the 2005 Magic Night Stakes before finishing a close third to Stratum in the Golden Slipper.
Her first foal Offer is a Sandown winner and Harpers is her second to the track.
A $430,000 Australian Premier yearling, Harpers won the slowest of 11 barrier trials by nearly three seconds at Cranbourne on November 28 but wasn’t pushed out.
John Sadler-trained Sell In May, who also makes her debut on Saturday, was third in the same trial.
The daughter of Starcraft cost $100,000 in New Zealand and traces back to the successful Tennessee Vain family.
The only other first starter in the race is Caption Rio filly Donna Cattiva, who was also a New Zealand offering at $310,000 and is trained on track by Danny O’Brien.
She is a half sister to Il Quello Veloce, who was New Zealand champion two-year-old in 2008.
Saturday’s Flemington event was won last year by the talented Golden Archer while the Snowden-trained Denman suffered one of his rare defeats when he made his debut in the 2008 race.
Paul Snowden said the race was a chance to get a look at Harpers under race pressure to see if she can go towards the Blue Diamond Preview and Prelude races early next year.
“She has trialled well and is fit and well so we are more than happy to run her on Saturday,” Snowden said.
“We will see how she comes though the run before making any plans but really there is not a lot of time before the good two-year-old races come around,” Snowden said.
AAP TURF
