Rhythm key to Enthaar fortunes

The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace stable is unsure which Enthaar will turn up at Flemington.

The filly who around this time last year started favourite in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield, is set to contest the Listed ATA/Bob Hoysted Handicap (1000m) on Saturday.

A winner of three of her six starts, Enthaar was expected to be too speedy for her rivals when last seen at Caulfield on January 26 but finished last of the four runners as the $1.45 favourite.

The only thing Eustace can put that down to was the speed which Enthaar did not appreciate.

“I don’t think we’ll ever fully sort her out,” Eustace said.

“She’s been working OK but she’s a filly that is a bit more aggressive in her work than you would like.

“We went into Caulfield being really confident, but she did what she did. She’s a tricky horse to train and a tricky horse to ride.”

At her only start up the Flemington straight, Enthaar finished third to Profiteer on Melbourne Cup Day.

Eustace does not see the straight being a concern and Saturday’s race is all about getting Enthaar into the right rhythm.

“She needs to get her breathing right and get into the right rhythm,” Eustace said.

“They went too slow early last start and that gets her out of whack, so you’ve just got to let her roll without going flat-out.

“It’s finding that happy medium.”

The Maher and Eustace team will also saddle stable newcomer Dirty Thoughts in Saturday’s race.

Eustace said the four-year-old daughter of So You Think was a nice mare purchased on-line.

“I think the partnership got dissolved when Mat (Ellerton) and Simon (Zahra) separated,” Eustace said.