The wisdom of refusing to sell Sydney mare Estonian Princess will be tested at Group One level during the Melbourne Cup carnival.
Trainer Scott Aspery revealed the mare’s owners knocked back offers before and after her narrow defeat in the Angst Stakes at Randwick.
“The owners had no intention of selling her but leading up to the Angst they had an offer for her which they rejected,” Aspery said.
“Then after the Angst the same party came back with an even better offer which they obviously had to give strong consideration to because of the amount involved.”
Instead, Aspery is setting Estonian Princess for a windfall of another kind.
Estonian Princess is among 25 fillies and mares entered for the $500,000 Myer Classic at Flemington on Saturday but she is assured of a start as the 10th horse in ballot order.
Ideally, Aspery would like to campaign Estonian Princess into 2015 before a decision is made on her future.
“Hopefully they decide to race her through the autumn and then sell her as a broodmare proposition before the breeding season starts,” he said.
Aspery said the spring form of nominal Myer favourite Sweet Idea had been influential in deciding to target the Myer.
“Sweet Idea is likely to be at the head of the markets and Estonian Princess was only a length behind her as a three-year-old,” he said.
“My filly has improved and Sweet Idea has obviously improved as well but over the mile I’m pretty confident my mare can be very competitive.”
Estonian Princess ran the best race of her career when she flew late to finish second to Sweet Idea in the Magic Millions Guineas.
Brenton Avdulla, the jockey who won the JHB Carr Stakes on Estonian Princess and was reunited with her for the first time since in the Angst, has the ride at Flemington.
