A difficult week has ended on a high for trainer Gary Portelli with juvenile Queen Of Clubs delivering a promising win at Rosehill just a day after injury cut short the racing career of stable star Kimochi.
Kimochi was due to contest Saturday’s Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) in Brisbane but was ruled out on race eve with a tendon injury.
“It has been a pretty hard twenty-four hours after finding out Kimochi had bowed her tendon yesterday,” Portelli said.
“She will be retired. It’s a pretty decent tear and she is a more valuable broodmare now.”
While devastated by the loss of the Group 1 winner, Portelli might have found a handy back-up in two-year-old Queen Of Clubs.
Her victory in Saturday’s Chandon Handicap (1400m) was in winter grade, but he has long held her in high regard, believing she can develop into a stakes-class filly once she is stretched out over ground.
“We will probably stop and work out a program that will see her in all the big fillies’ races,” Portelli said.
“One door closes and another one opens, and I’ve been saying all along this is my next big thing. Today showed we are heading in the right direction.”
Even sweeter for Portelli and Queen Of Club’s owners was her price.
Ridden by former New Zealand-based jockey Andrew Calder, Queen Of Clubs started at $31 and unleashed a strong finish to power over the top of Regulated Affair ($4.40) for a 1-1/4 length win with Gemologist ($21) another short neck away third.
“We haven’t stopped backing her since the odds came out, so it has been a good result for everyone,” Portelli said.
Calder has been in Sydney for two years and the victory was his first in town this season from limited opportunities.
However, he is well-credentialled as a seven-time Group One winner in New Zealand and like Portelli, predicts a bright future for Queen Of Clubs.
“She is very progressive and has a great, big stride on her,” Calder said.
“At the 200 metres, I thought she was just going to get there but then at the 100 metres she really lengthened nicely.
“She is going to make a nice three-year-old filly, that’s for sure.”
Namaste started a $4 favourite but tired after leading to finish seventh.
