Hugh Bowman has declared track conditions crucial to the chances of Group 1 winner Fangirl finding her best form in the $10 million Golden Eagle.
The mare has finished out of the placings at her past two starts in the George Main Stakes and Epsom Handicap but both were on tracks rated a soft 7 or worse.
Prior to that, Fangirl was an eye-catching runner-up to Anamoe on soft 5 conditions in the Winx Stakes and if she can reproduce that effort on a better surface at Rosehill on Saturday, Bowman is convinced she is good enough to put herself in the finish.
“They haven’t had the same rain in Western Sydney as they’ve had at Randwick and I think that is the key to her,” Bowman said.
“If it does truckload rain and it’s a wet track, I don’t think we will see her at her best.
“But I was delighted with her first-up run…..she just hasn’t been able to do that again, but every time she has raced it has been heavy (or rain-affected).
“I think that’s a key, getting a firm deck for her.”
Bowman is shooting to become the first jockey to win the Golden Eagle (1500m) twice having captured the race last year aboard I’m Thunderstruck.
He will have to produce a heady steer after Fangirl ($15) lucked out at Tuesday night’s barrier draw with gate 21 in the field of 20 plus four emergencies.
She will jump immediately outside her Chris Waller-trained stablemate Hinged ($15), who likewise follows a proven path into the feature through the Epsom Handicap, which both inaugural winner Kolding and 2020 heroine Colette contested in the lead-up.
Race favourite Light Infantry ($4) fared well with barrier eight, as did the Peter Moody-trained second elect Chain Of Lightning ($7), who drew barrier two.
I Wish I Win, a stablemate of Chain Of Lightning, is the only other horse at single-figure odds at $8 after landing barrier 14 for his Sydney debut.
