Damian Lane has declared Charm Stone something special after her return win at Caulfield.
Having her first start as a three-year-old, Charm Stone took out the Group 3 Quezette Stakes (1100m) on Saturday to set up a spring campaign that will entail an attempt at Group 1 level.
Trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr have earmarked either the Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on September 23 or the Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington in November as the filly’s targets.
Sent out the $4 boombet favourite, Charm Stone circled the field from third last to score a short-neck win from Skirt The Law ($4.80) with Sicilian ($11) a further 1-½ lengths away third.
“She’s really grown into her frame mentally,” Lane said.
“She was always a lovely filly from day dot and she’s starting to come together now.
“It’s not easy to do what she did.
“I had to put the jets on from the 500 (metres) and her closing speed between the 500 (metres) and the 100 (metres) was brilliant and to then be able to sustain that when she got challenged was really good.
“I think she is something special this horse and I think she can win a good race this prep.”
Lane however is not convinced Charm Stone can run out a strong 1400m but said he would leave that up to the filly’s trainers.
After two starts last spring as a two-year-old, Charm Stone had her autumn campaign cut-short by a bout of pharyngitis which Kent Jnr said the filly had ‘matured out of’.
Like Lane, Kent Jnr said Charm School had matured a lot mentally.
“She’s a lot cooler, calmer and she’s in for a big preparation. We want to win a Group 1,” Kent Jnr said.
“For fillies in the spring there’s lots of smaller Stakes race options, but the big ones are the Golden Rose or the Coolmore.
“The Coolmore is a long way away, so we’ll talk to Damian, talk to Mick and see, but I think her best trip is 1200 metres.
“Could she stretch to 1400 metres on an In Secret preparation, it might end up a nice race for her.”
In Secret ran second to the Price and Kent Jnr-trained Jacquinot in last year’s Golden Rose before going on to claim the Coolmore Stud Stakes.
