While the Perth Cup will take centre stage at Ascot on New Year’s Day, two races earlier Machine Gun Gracie will be commanding a spotlight of her own when she makes a second-up appearance in the Group 3 La Trice Classic over 1800m.
The lightly raced four-year-old daughter of Maschino showed just how good a prospect she is likely to be moving forward when she resumed after an eight month layoff from race action with an eye-catching fourth placing, finishing just 1,50 lengths behind Storyville in the Listed Starstruck Classic over 1600m on December 13 in her first outing as a four-year-old.
We already knew she was good, of course.
Machine Gun Gracie’s six starts as a two-year-old had told us that in no uncertain terms … and it wasn’t just the races she was winning during her two-year-old campaign that caught attention, it was also the rapid form progression that really marked her as a runner with a future.
Trainer Justine Erkelens, who has managed the horse superbly, and jockey Shaun O’Connell, who has been in the saddle for every one of Machine Gun Gracie’s start, have played a huge part in the impressive trajectory that the mare’s form-line has followed which started with a second placed finish on debut at Bunbury back on February 2.
That outing became the first of a six-run sequence in which Machine Gun Gracie would finish either first or second.
She quickly shed her Maiden ticket at her second start (over 1600m) … and then that steep, positive progression kicked in with Machine Gun Gracie then finishing second in the Listed Ascot 1000 Guineas over 1800m followed by a win in the Listed Natasha Stakes over 2200m.
The Natash Stakes proved to be the opening leg of a particularly important hat-trick of wins as Machine Gun Gracie went on to take out both the Group 3 WA Oaks and the Group 2 WATC Derby.
Both of these races were contested over 2400m. Funchal finished second on both occasions.
In the Group 3 La Trice Classic on Thursday, Machine Gun Gracie stays at the 1800m trip.
As the best horse in the race, Machine Gun Gracie has been weighted accordingly and, with 60kg on her back, the Erkelens trained mare will have to give away a weight advantage to all of her eight rivals … from 2kg to a massive 10.5kg to the bottom weight Ninetymilestraight.
Funchal, who chased Machine Gun Gracie home in both the Oaks and the Derby, finishing finished 3.28 and 1.83 lengths back respectively, is back for more.
Funchal met Machine Gun Gracie at level weights in both the Oaks and the Derby. She is now 5kg better off with Machine Gun Gracie … so, as good as she is, this will be a real test for the top weight, particularly racing second-up.
