Trainer Jason Warren is already looking ahead to the rich autumn two-year-old races after the debut win of Palm Angel at Caulfield.
The daughter of Starspangledbanner registered an all-the-way victory in the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes (1000m) on Saturday with Warren immediately swinging his thoughts towards the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield in February.
The Merson Cooper Stakes has been a good guide to autumn riches in previous years with Long Leaf, Hanseatic, Anamoe, Ebhaar, Little Brose and Eneeza being winners of Saturday’s race that have gone on to perform well later in their juvenile season.
Ridden by Ethan Brown, Palm Angel (12) scored a three-quarter length win from Wiltshire Square ($15) with Point Barrow ($7) a further 1-¼ lengths away third.
“We’ve liked this filly a lot from the first day we started galloping her,” Warren said.
“We didn’t want to go the early crow but she’s by Starspangledbanner out of a Pivotal mare and we had a bit of fun with a mare called Brooklyn Hustle bred on the same cross.
“I said to the boys at Rosemont, the whole team, she’s pretty special and she’d shown that at the trials and we even put her in a trial at Balnarring the other week against the older horses and she cleaned them up.
“She’ll have a freshen up now and then we’ll prepare her for the Blue Diamond lead-up races.
“She’s probably one of the best I’ve trained so I’m looking forward to what we get in the autumn.”
Brown has been taken with the Palm Angel’s professionalism.
He said the only thing that told him Palm Angel was a two-year-old was her size.
“If she wasn’t so small you’d think you were riding a five-year-old,” Brown said.
“She’s got a great constitution and she’s very well-educated.
“The heavy track probably wasn’t to her liking. She’ll be better again on top of the ground so she’s an exciting filly going forward.”
