Dominic Sutton will look to plot a path towards November’s Group 1 VRC Oaks (2500m) with filly After Summer, who led throughout to win the Crown Oaks Preview (1800m) at Flemington on Sunday.
Sent out as the $14 outsider with just four rivals to beat, Billy Egan landed in front aboard The Autumn Sun filly and was able to sprint off a pedestrian tempo to score by 1-1/2 lengths over Seychelles ($4.20) with Classic Gem ($5.50) just a further half head away in third.
The young trainer tasted Group 1 success with Feroce in the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) last year and will consider the best way to get After Summer to 2500m, admitting that the slowly run affair was more of a trial than a race.
“They were going to crawl and she was up on the bridle, so he did the right thing in letting her stride a little bit,” Sutton said.
“She got a very soft time in front and when he asked for at the top of the straight, she never looked like getting beaten.
“We’re still a long way out so we’ll just assess how she comes through today.
“I’d say it’d be more like having a trial than having a race with the speeds that they went, so she doesn’t look like she’s had a tough run.
“We’ll get her home and plot a path, and if she takes us there, then great. If not, then we’ll put her away and save it for autumn.”
Egan said the plan hadn’t been to lead aboard After Summer, worried he’d gone too slowly, with the overall race time nearly 10 seconds outside the track record.
“We didn’t think she quite had the race smarts quite yet to lead and be the bunny for something else,” Egan said.
“She jumped and landed there, and she’s obviously taken a lot from her first two starts and she was too good in the end.
“I was getting a little worried, maybe I’ve gone too slow; she might not sprint as good, but she showed a really nice turn of foot at the end.”
A three-time Guineas winner himself, The Autumn Sun’s progeny have already provided multiple Oaks and Derby winners and Sutton said After Summer had been purchased with an Oaks in mind.
“She’s one that we identified and obviously The Autumn Sun’s are doing a terrific job, especially the fillies.” Sutton said.
“This was always the plan to have an Oaks filly and that’s what we identified her as, so it’d be nice if we can pull that one off.”
