Caulfield has brought many a good Sydney-trained horse undone and Fangirl was its latest victim, but back in familiar territory at Randwick connections are backing the star mare to rebound.
Fangirl missed a place for just the second time in the past 20 months when fourth to Treasurethemoment in the Memsie Stakes (1400m) last month after being scratched from her original target, the Winx Stakes (1400m), due to a heavy track.
Trainer Chris Waller sent her straight on a float back to Sydney and his right-hand man Charlie Duckworth said the mare hadn’t missed a beat since returning.
“She just didn’t handle Caulfield as well as we’d hoped,” Duckworth said.
“It was her first time around there. She still ran OK and she has still taken good fitness benefit from the trip down and up and her work has actually been really sharp since she has returned.
“There is no negative to her running down there and she loves the Randwick mile.”
A seven-year-old, Fangirl has continued to shine on the track at a time when most mares are in the breeding barn.
The winner of 11 of her 34 starts, she took out the Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) in the autumn and will be shooting for back-to-back titles in the $1 million 7 Stakes (1600m) on Saturday.
“She is the only filly in the race but she stumps up every prep,” Duckworth said.
“She always wins a ‘biggie’ so it’s hard to knock her.”
Fangirl is an early favourite and will be one of five runners for Waller along with Lindermann, Kovalica, Militarize and Kadavar.
Militarize presents as an interesting addition after returning with an eye-catching fifth behind Pericles in the Tramway Stakes (1400m) at his second preparation since returning from a failed stint at stud.
Duckworth said that in hindsight, his autumn-winter campaign was the preparation he had to have and pointed out the five-year-old’s first-up run indicated he was ready to return to some of his early-career form.
“His last run rated quite highly in terms of all of his first-up performances. It rated as the second best first-up performance of his entire career so that indicates he is in for a good preparation,” he said.
“It made it hard coming off the back of a breeding barn preparation whereas he’s coming off the back of a racing preparation now so he’s one that can bounce back and prove he is still a Group One horse.”
Militarize was a triple Group 1 winner at two and three and claimed the 2023 Champagne Stakes over Saturday’s course and distance.
