Greg Eurell is guarded about the winning chances of Star Witness’s half-sister Elusive Leone who makes her race debut at Sandown.
The three-year-old daughter of Elusive Quality is the second foal from Leone Chiara but Eurell is hopeful rather than confident that she will figure in the finish of Wednesday’s Dream Thoroughbreds Handicap (1000m).
Eurell said with the wet tracks it had been hard to get a line on her ability but she had trialled well.
“The fear is she might be just a mud runner but only time will tell,” Eurell said.
Star Witness was a dual Group One winner of the Blue Diamond Stakes and the Coolmore Stud Stakes.
He was retired at the end of his three-year-old season last year after campaigning in England where he was Group One-placed in both the Diamond Jubilee Stakes and King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Breeder Ken Turner has recently engaged Eurell to train not only Elusive Leone but also her Bernardini half-bother I’m Corleone.
Eurell also trains recent Mornington winner I’m A Zulu for Turner.
Eurell said Elusive Leone didn’t have the precociousness of Star Witness and had needed time to mature.
“I don’t think she is a Star Witness but she is a nice, neat filly and has been ticking over nicely,” Eurell said.
He said he was hopeful that she could run up to her trial win on a heavy track at Cranbourne when she scored by a length on May 14 .
In April she finished third to Frankly Fast in another Cranbourne trial on a dead track in fast time.
Damien Oliver, who was her trial-winning jockey, takes the mount again on Wednesday on a track rated a slow seven on Tuesday and likely to deteriorate with the forecast for showers.
Eurell said I’m Corleone was in training but was unlikely to race this preparation.
“He’s a beautiful-looking horse and I want to get him fully educated before the spring if he’s going to be good enough,” Eurell said.
“He might just have a trial this time in and then a let up.”
