The Group One Tattersall’s Tiara is the goal for Victorian mare Splash Back after she upstaged several big name sprinters to capture the Victory Stakes at Eagle Farm.
The winner of the Stocks Stakes at Moonee Valley in the spring, Splash Back ($8.50) had finished midfield behind Victory Stakes rival In Flight in the Sapphire Stakes (1200m) at Randwick last start, but was able to plough through the heavy track conditions on Saturday.
Hugging the fence for Michael Rodd, the Grahame Begg-trained six-year-old burst through along the rails late to run down Payline ($18) with Warnie ($6.50) third, Group 1 winners Transatlantic (fourth), Lady Of Camelot (fifth) and Private Harry (eighth) also finishing in her wake.
Rodd said he wasn’t confident when Splash Back was among the tailenders on the home turn, and couldn’t believe his good fortune when she got a saloon passage through the field.
“They went along at a decent clip, and I was out the back and wasn’t going anywhere straightening up,” Rodd said.
“I was struggling a bit and thought, I’m staying on the inside.
“I couldn’t believe it was opening up in front of my eyes, and she will be even better when she gets out over a little bit further.”
Begg wasn’t at Eagle Farm, but stable representative Jack Lake praised Rodd’s initiative to sweat on an inside run.
“Just to get up on the rail and save ground was crucial,” Lake said.
“She is spot-on for the Tatt’s Tiara.
“She has beaten some good horses today and we always thought she was up to that class.”
Earlier in the day, the Chris and Corey Munce-trained Brave Monarch was triumphant in the Queensland Guineas (1600m) to put himself in the frame for a Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) start.
The three-year-old will line up next in the Fred Best Classic (1400m) at Eagle Farm on May 30, and if he wins that, Chris Munce says the Stradbroke could become a realistic target.
“There is still a long way to go,” Munce said.
“His rating probably doesn’t get him there, and he will probably have to go around in the Fred Best and win to get in the Stradbroke. But it’s a possibility.”
Brave Monarch has now won five of his seven starts, the Guineas victory his second at black-type level after he claimed the Listed Daybreak Lover (1400m) at his previous appearance.
