Gerald Ryan believes he could be continually underestimating Cavalry Rose ahead of the final Golden Slipper qualifier for fillies at Rosehill.
Cavalry Rose has won two of her three starts and lines up in Saturday’s Group Two Magic Night Stakes (1200m).
Cavalry Rose won the $250,000 Inglis Classic on debut but that prize money doesn’t count towards Golden Slipper qualification as it was a sales-restricted race.
Last start in Canberra’s Listed Black Opal Stakes (1200m), Cavalry Rose was on the worst part of the track when fourth to Epaulette who confirmed the form with a close second to Pierro in the Todman Stakes.
“Perhaps I might be underrating this filly,” Ryan said.
“The form around her is quite good. It was a very biased track at Canberra that day and she was wide and had to come outside the best part of the ground.
“She looked as if she was going to win the race at the top of the straight and was run down about the 300-metre mark and then just whacked away the last little bit.
“I reckon if she was given an easier run and had drawn a better barrier then she would have been on the fence in behind the leaders and I think she would have been very, very competitive.”
Ryan said the filly had continued to please since the Black Opal but said it wasn’t a given that Cavalry Rose would go to the Golden Slipper after Saturday should she make the final field.
“If she did qualify it would probably be hard not to go though,” he said.
The Rosehill trainer also has Flying Snitzel in the Magic Night Stakes and said the filly would have to be impressive on Saturday to earn a Slipper start.
Flying Snitzel resumed from a spell with a fifth in the Group Three Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m) on a slow track which Ryan said didn’t suit.
“Whether we go to the Golden Slipper or not, she would have to win pretty impressively on Saturday,” Ryan said.
“She’s a lot better on top of the ground and I just hope the rain stays away to give us a guide where we are going with her.”
Impressive debut winner She’s A Fox is the $3.60 TAB Sportsbet favourite for the Magic Night with Cavalry Rose at $9.50 and Flying Snitzel $15.
The winner of both the Magic Night Stakes and also the Pago Pago Stakes for colts and geldings earn a ballot exemption for Saturday week’s $3.5 million Golden Slipper.
Black Caviar’s half-brother All Too Hard is a dominant $1.40 favourite for the Pago Pago.
