Trainer Rob Heathcote may be forced down the weight-for-age path with talented mare Fillydelphia during the Brisbane winter carnival.
Heathcote, Brisbane’s premier trainer for the past three seasons, is rapidly losing patience with handicappers after Fillydelphia carried big weights at her past three feature starts during the summer.
Fillydelphia carried 53.5 kilograms when she won at Doomben last November then was successful with three kilos more in the Listed Brisbane Handicap (1600m) at Eagle Farm a fortnight later.
The four-year-old carried 57kg at her past two starts when third in the Listed Recognition Stakes at Eagle Farm and second in the Listed Bernborough Handicap at Doomben in December.
Heathcote has been impressed with Fillydelphia’s work since she returned to training and has nominated her for the Listed Juanmo Stakes (1200m) and Listed Hinkler Handicap (1200m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
“I gave her a jump-out recently and she went very well,” Heathcote said.
“She’s come back bigger and stronger than ever this time in.”
Heathcote will wait until the release of weights on Tuesday before deciding which Eagle Farm race Fillydelphia will contest.
“If I put her in the Hinkler she’ll get a couple of kilos off the boys whereas the Juanmo Stakes is for fillies and mares,” he said.
Both races have a maximum topweight of 61kg.
Heathcote, who is facing his biggest challenge in years from Patinack Farm’s John Thompson for this season’s training honours, hasn’t ruled out a weight-for-age campaign during the winter with the daughter of Bianconi.
“I’m not afraid of going down the weight-for-age road with her,” Heathcote said.
“It depends if she keeps getting weighted out of her races.
“I’m not discounting taking on the Doomben 10,000 with her but I really don’t want her to take on her stablemate Buffering.”
Buffering is back home following his placing in the Group One William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley and will launch his winter campaign in the Group Two Victory Stakes (1200m) at Eagle Farm on April 28 before next month’s Group One BTC Cup (1200m) at Doomben in May.
Buffering won last year’s Victory Stakes (1200m) before finishing third to Black Caviar and Hay List in the BTC Cup.
Heathcote is hopeful Buffering can provide him with his second Group One win after he landed his first with Woorim in the Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield in February.
“It looks like Black Caviar will be in Adelaide and Hay List won’t be coming after his recent troubles,” he said.
