New Zealand mare Fanatic has settled into her new home in Victoria where she is being prepared for a Cups campaign by Lindsay Park.
Her owner-breeder Sean Kiernan said Fanatic was getting close to a barrier trial with senior trainer David Hayes to decide her program.
“She’s had a couple of gallops and David is very happy with her,” Kiernan told NZ Racing Desk.
“She’ll be having a trial in the next ten days and then we’ll see. I’m leaving it entirely up to David.”
A daughter of 2009 Melbourne Cup winner Shocking, Fanatic won the 2016 New Zealand Oaks on protest over Sofia Rosa who franked the form when she came to Sydney to win the Australian Oaks.
Fanatic was sent to the Lindsay Park team of David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig with the support of her former trainers Graeme Sanders and his daughter Debbie Sweeney.
“She needs good tracks and Graeme said there wasn’t much point getting her ready here with mud up to her stomach,” Kiernan said.
“With the English raiders coming out for the spring it doesn’t make it easy, but David has got enough good horses to work her with and find out where she sits.
“Hopefully, her level is closer to the top than the bottom.”
Fanatic missed last year’s Cups in Melbourne when she was bitten by a spider days before the Caulfield Cup.
This year’s New Zealand Oaks and Australian Oaks winner Bonneval, trained by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, is on the second line of Caulfield Cup betting at $18 with Fanatic at $51.
The Baker/Forsman-trained Australian Derby winner Jon Snow is also at $18 with Gingernuts, Hartnell and Humidor heading the TAB’s early market at $15.
