Coolangatta is looking to emulate Nature Strip at this year’s Royal Ascot meeting and trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace have taken a leaf out of Chris Waller’s book when planning her UK schedule.
The three-year-old daughter of Written Tycoon will stay with Charlie Hills at Lambourn, which is where Nature Strip stayed in England prior to winning the King’s Stand Stakes.
Hills’ property is on the other side of London to England’s main training centre, Newmarket, which is where Eustace grew up, and the Englishman said it would be more suitable for Coolangatta.
“We thought we’d repeat what Chris Waller did and hope that works,” Eustace said.
“We thought about Newmarket naturally, but we both thought it was quite busy at Newmarket, there’s a lot going on, and Charlie actually trains at his own property, so it will be very quiet.
“The biggest thing to undertake is the travel, particularly for a three-year-old filly, and she’s not difficult but she’s still just a three-year-old filly that once upon a time was fairly highly-strung.
“It’ll be a big thing for her, although she has done a lot of travel, which will hold her in good stead.”
Coolangatta is favourite to win the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes (1006m) on June 20, which will be her ninth racetrack appearance.
She has not started since winning the Black Caviar Lightning at Flemington in February, which was her second 1000m Group 1 win this season, having won the Moir Stakes at The Valley last spring.
Coolangatta’s preparations will lift a notch on Tuesday morning when she has an 850m jumpout at Cranbourne.
Artorius, who is also Royal Ascot bound for the Platinum Jubilee Stakes (1207m), is nominated for the same jumpout, which will be one of two hitouts for the pair before flying out on June 6.
“She’ll trial Tuesday then she’s going to trial with Artorius and Cannonball down the straight at Flemington on the 29th (of May), which is very kind of the VRC to let us do that.”
Last year’s King’s Stand Stakes-winning rider James Mcdonald will be reunited with Coolangatta at Royal Ascot with Jamie Kah, who rode Coolangatta in the Black Caviar Lightning, still sidelined with injury.
