Trainer John Thompson is keen for Gimcrack Stakes winner Bel Merci to gain race experience at Rosehill ahead of a planned Golden Slipper tilt, which is why the exciting filly is set to launch her autumn campaign in the Silver Slipper.
Bel Merci is scheduled to step out on Saturday at Rosehill for her first start since a brilliant win in the Gimcrack Stakes (1000m) for two-year-old fillies at Randwick in October.
Zac Lloyd takes the ride with Chad Schofield suspended for Saturday’s meeting.
Bel Merci was taken to Rosehill for a barrier trial earlier this month and she laid in noticeably in the straight when finishing second in her heat.
Thompson then gave the filly another trip away for another trial at Kembla Grange last week and Bel Merci sped along and seemingly did everything right when posting an 8.3-length win in her third trial of the preparation.
“It definitely was (a concern) on the day but that was her first trip away from home,” Thompson said of Bel Merci laying in at Rosehill in the trial on February 3.
“She had done everything at Randwick and never been away.
“I think she just got a bit lost. She was wide in the trial and it caught everybody by surprise, more so Chad than anyone.”
The trainer, however, was thrilled with what he saw from Bel Merci at Kembla in her third barrier trial this time in and he said the filly had done well since then.
“For that reason (laying in during the Rosehill trial), we wanted to take her away again so we took her to Kembla,” Thompson said.
“Chad got suspended so we had to get a new jockey, so Zac has jumped on.
“I just said to him, ‘don’t fight her, if she wants to run just cruise along’, and you saw what she did.
“She’ll run well (on Saturday). Good horses run well, simple as that.
“She did all that wrong in her trial at Rosehill and still ran second in the trial and went well.
“She’s a good filly. She’s just got to go and do it at the races now.”
The G2 Silver Slipper is four weeks before the G1 Golden Slipper (1200m) at the same course.
“I wanted to give her a run at Rosehill before she went, hopefully, to the Slipper,” Thompson said.
“So basically it was the only race.
“We had to go against the boys first-up, and 1100-metres is the right distance for her.
“It will be a small field, I’d imagine.”
The Reisling Stakes at Randwick on March 8 is also part of Bel Merci’s planned program leading towards the Golden Slipper 2025.
The form out of Bel Merci’s Gimcrack win has stood up so far with placegetters O’ Ole and Memo since finishing first and second in both the Wyong Magic Millions and the Magic Millions 2YO Classic at the Gold Coast.
“The form is really good,” Thompson said.
“Those two fillies that placed behind her went and ran the quinella in both Magic Millions races. And Gai’s nice filly (Bellazaine) that won at Randwick last week was in the Gimcrack as well. So it’s a good form line.”Look, she is a good filly. It’s just a matter of how she’s going to measure up to those good colts.”
