Savvy Hallie controlled the Light Fingers Stakes from the front, but trainer Brad Widdup is happy to leave tactics to experienced jockey Nash Rawiller for her Group One clash with star filly Tempted in the Surround Stakes at Randwick.
While the three-year-old looks the obvious leader in the select field of eight, Widdup isn’t discounting a rival throwing a spanner in the speed map and if they do, he’s satisfied both horse and rider will adjust.
“I’ll leave it up to Nash. You never know, someone might want to go a bit hard this time around,” Widdup said.
“We can only worry about ourselves, and we’re very happy with her. She’s had a trouble free preparation, so fingers crossed she can keep going.”
Savvy Hallie has drawn barrier six in the select field of eight, which is headed by Everest runner-up Tempted, Flight Stakes winner Apocalyptic and Thousand Guineas heroine Ole Dancer, who makes her Sydney debut.
Adding further intrigue is a forecast for rain, with the Bureau of Meteorology predicting anywhere between 3mm and 60mm in the coming days.
Either end of the spectrum will be fine for Widdup, with Savvy Hallie proven on good and heavy ground.
While the trainer hasn’t won a Surround Stakes (1400m) previously, he was at Crown Lodge during the period when Portillo (2009) and Parables (2011) were successful and felt Savvy Hallie had proven herself to be in a similar class.
“Portillo was a good two-year-old and trained on, Parables came later. But I think Savvy Hallie is definitely in their mould,” he said.
“You never get too carried away with this sort of race, but it’s great to have a really good chance.
“She hasn’t gone backwards and you’d like to think she should be competitive.”
Tempted was marked as a $1.60 favourite shortly after fields were released on Wednesday, ahead of Apocalyptic at $4.20, with Ole Dancer ($8.50) and Savvy Hallie ($9.50) the only other runners at single-figure odds.
