The Group 3 Aurie’s Star Handicap was once the starting point for countless Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup hopefuls from the Bart Cummings stable.
The Leon and Troy Corstens and Will Larkin stable is using that formula to kick-start the spring for Lady In Pink at Flemington on Saturday who is on a potential path to the Caulfield Cup.
Leon Corstens was the longtime Melbourne foreman for Cummings and the Aurie’s Star over 1200m, on the straight Flemington course, was considered an ideal starting point.
It helped build fitness without the stress of racing on a turning track.
“Leon was with Bart for a very long time, and he always used to kick off his Cups horses in this race,” Larkin said.
“We’re going down the old-school route. I know everything is different, programming is different and things like that, but she improves as she gets deeper into her campaign.
“Whatever she does first-up, it’s possibly the worst run of her prep.
“We were thinking of going into the P B Lawrence first-up with her, but then we thought we would like to get a run into her before that, so hopefully she will be peaking to run a really good race second-up.”
The Group 2 P B Lawrence Stakes (1400m) is run at Caulfield on August 16 and Larkin said the ideal scenario was to the head to the Listed Heatherlie Stakes (1700m) at Caulfield two weeks later.
“Nothing is set in stone, but it’s likely to be the P B Lawrence into the Heatherlie, into the Underwood or the Naturalism,” Larkin said.
“There’s plenty of races through the spring. The goal is to try and get her to the Caulfield Cup, but that is pie in the sky stuff at the moment.
“She’s got to prove that she’s up to that.”
While Lady In Pink is kicking off her spring campaign, stablemate Marble Nine will be looking to stretch his winning sequence to four in the Aurie’s Star on Saturday.
Marble Nine has won his last three starts on the Flemington straight course, twice at 1200m and once at 1100m, the most recent being in the Listed Santa Ana Lane Sprint Series Final on July 5.
Post that latest victory it was suggested Marble Nine would head for a break, but after time in the paddock at the stable’s property near Benalla, Marble Nine showed he still had petrol in the tank.
“After his last run he came out of it really well. There were no signs of a tired horse,” Larkin said.
“We sent him to the farm, and we did say to the owners we would get him back to Flemington before we decided whether to continue.
“He had to tick every box, which he did, so there’s no reason to tip a horse out that’s in form if he’s not showing any signs that he needs it.”
Marble Nine ran second in a Flemington jump-out on July 18, convincing the team to press on.
“He’s had a tick over jump-out in between which was good, and he seems to be holding his form at home which is really good,” Larkin said.
“He’s adapted to the straight really well. He puts himself close to the speed and because he can run a strong 1200 at a good clip, it means he keeps going.”
