A single burst of pure brilliance at Caulfield on Tuesday morning has put to rest any concerns lingering over last year’s Blue Diamond Stakes winner Samaready.
It also got a week of high expectation off to a hopeful start for Peter Orton who will be up early again on Friday to see his even better-credentialled colt All Too Hard do something similar at Flemington.
Orton is the general manager of Vinery Stud which has owned Samaready for most of her life and All Too Hard for the past couple of months.
“That was exactly what we hoped for,” Orton said after Samaready’s 700m jump-out at Caulfield.
“She looks entirely different to how she was in the spring. Stronger, more complete.
“The rest she had in the spring has probably done her a lot of good.”
Samaready, the winner of last year’s Blue Diamond Stakes and third home in the Golden Slipper, won her 700m jump out by four lengths in a tick under 41.5 seconds, leaving jockey Craig Newitt with the same view as Orton.
“To ride her, she’s the filly that we know from her two-year-old days,” Newitt said.
“That spell she had after the setback in the spring has definitely been the making of her.
“She’s a lot stronger and she’s much better in the coat.
“This morning she did it all hard on the bridle, I was pretty soft on her.”
Newitt expects to be asking a little more of Samaready next week when she has her next jump-out after which trainer Mick Price, who is at the Karaka sales in New Zealand, decides on a return to racing.
Orton said the choice rested between “a barrier trial behind Black Caviar” in the Lightning Stakes at Flemington on February 16, or the Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield a week later.
Newitt doesn’t relish the prospect of tackling Black Caviar, but he says the clash is probably inevitable.
“The question is `do you want to do that first-up’,” he said.
With Samaready’s comeback on track, Orton’s attention now switches to All Too Hard who has a jump-out down the straight at Flemington on Friday.
Vinery bought the half-brother to world champion mare Black Caviar last month from the beleaguered Nathan Tinkler.
The Caulfield Guineas winner trialled last week and according to Orton “will get a bit more serious on Friday”.
All Too Hard is due to resume in the weight-for-age C F Orr Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday week.
