Smart filly Fontiton appears likely be kept to sprint distances during the upcoming spring carnival.
Fontiton has been back in work for a couple of weeks after having surgery to remove bone chips from a fetlock after her fifth placing when favourite in the Group One Blue Diamond Stakes in February.
The Robert Smerdon-trained filly won her first three starts leading into the Blue Diamond.
Smerdon is yet to lock in Fontiton’s spring program but thinks she is more likely to be kept to sprints rather than stepping up to the Thousand Guineas trip of 1600m this campaign.
“We know what she can do over the shorter trips,” Smerdon said.
“She probably won’t have a lot of racing through the spring and we’ll probably stay to the shorter trips, I would imagine.
“I think she’s a bit late coming in for the Thousand Guineas and we don’t know whether she runs a mile.”
He said his inclination was to aim the filly at the Group One Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m).
Another stakes-winning juvenile from Smerdon’s stable, Thurlow, had a jump-out at Sandown on Tuesday and could resume at Moonee Valley on Saturday week or trial again before the Quezette Stakes next month.
Stablemate Fife, a half-sister to 2013 Caulfield Cup winner Fawkner, also had a jumpout on Tuesday and Smerdon is looking to start her at Ballarat on Sunday in a 1200m race for two-year-old fillies.
Fife, a daughter of Starcraft out of Dane Belltar, finished third at a metropolitan meeting at Ballarat on debut on July 1 over 1000m and Smerdon believes the filly will get better as she gets older which is a trait of the family.
“She had a soft jump-out (on Tuesday morning) and she might go to Ballarat on Sunday,” Smerdon said.
“She might have a break after Sunday but she might go on. How far she goes will be determined by her.
“We like her, but she’s still learning and is a work in progress. Every time she does something she does it better than the time before.”
