Gerald Ryan has been waiting a while for Crystal Flute to draw a good barrier, and he will have to wait a little longer.
Despite her outside alley at Warwick Farm on Monday, the well-bred filly will line up for her fourth start in a three-year-old fillies maiden.
“At her first start she drew six out of seven, then next it was 15 out of 15 followed by nine out of nine,” Ryan said.
“I was going to start her at Newcastle last week but she drew 12 of 12 so I pulled her out of that.
“Now she’s got seven out of seven but the 1300 metre start at Warwick Farm is a better one and she has time to get a position.”
By Encosta De Lago out of Monsoon Wedding, a sister to Redoute’s Choice, Crystal Flute is a three-quarter sister to Group One winner Manhattan Rain.
She was placed in all three of her spring starts in spite of the wide barriers.
On debut she was second to Lady Sniper, the winner of Friday’s Group Three Gosford Guineas.
At her second start she finished third to Godolphin filly Ghisoni who won the recent Group Two Surround Stakes and ran a respectable sixth in the Group One Coolmore Classic.
“I’d like to get her to a race like the James H B Carr Stakes on the last day of the Randwick carnival,” Ryan said.
“But first I’d like to see her win a race and I think she gets that chance tomorrow.”
Ryan isn’t aiming too high with stablemate Forbidden Kisses but hopes she can capitalise on her recent Newcastle win when she runs in the 1200m-benchmark 72 for fillies and mares.
Unlike her stablemate, Forbidden Kisses has drawn barrier one.
