Group-winning two-year-old Jamaea returns this weekend in the Group Two Silver Shadow.
Percy Sykes winner Jamaea will kick off her spring campaign in the Group Two Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on Saturday.
The Silver Shadow is the first leg of the Darley Princess Series, which culminates in the Group One Flight Stakes (1600m) in October.
Jamaea has only trialled once since her Group Two win in the spring but galloped between races at Kembla Grange last Saturday with Tommy Berry aboard.
Berry, who was also riding when winning the Percy Sykes, will stick with the filly on Saturday, with co-trainer Robert Price saying the barrier draw is key to the three-year-old’s chances.
“We’re happy with her, hopefully we can draw a gate, that’s the key to her,” he said.
“You draw wide and you’ve just got to go back a bit further than you’d like, and that’s all ground you have to make up later in the race.
“Something inside five would be sweet, and we’d go from there.
“We’re confident enough with where the horse is at.
“She’s had a really good preparation.”
With plenty of options on offer for the daughter of Headwater this spring, the father-son duo haven’t set out a definite plan for Jamaea.
Jamaea qualifies for the Magic Millions raceday, with both Robert and Luke not ruling out the possibility of racing on the Gold Coast in January.
Despite the three-year-old holding nominations for big races in the spring, Price wants to space the filly’s races this campaign.
“We’ve got her in this Princess Series, so it’s the best thing we can do at this moment to take them step by step,” he said.
“The first two legs of the series suit her.
“Obviously, the Flight Stakes is a mile, and I’ve also got her nominated in the Thousand Guineas which is also a mile.
“We’ve got plenty of options and the Magic Millions is a great option, she hasn’t been to the Gold Coast yet.
“There was an inkling last year, but she wasn’t quite ready.
“There’s so many options it’s not funny, but we’re going to race her sparingly this prep anyway.”
Jamaea is an $11 chance for this weekend’s Silver Shadow and a $26 chance for the Thousand Guineas in October with tab.com.au.
