Jockey Mark Zahra has been given the call up to ride Fangirl in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes at Caulfield.
The Chris Waller-trained mare was floated down from Sydney on Saturday night and will head to Caulfield on Tuesday for a familiarisation gallop ahead of the Memsie Stakes (1400m) on Saturday.
Fangirl was scratched from the Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday due to the heavy track conditions.
The race was won by her Waller-trained stablemate Via Sistina.
Waller said a drier track in Melbourne would be to Fangirl’s advantage despite between 8mm and 40mm of rain being forecast at Caulfield for the week.
Fangirl has been unplaced on all five attempts on heavy tracks while she is a four-time winner from nine starts on soft going.
“She will run in the Memsie,” Waller said.
“She will gallop there Tuesday to get used to the track.
“The tracks (in Melbourne) dry pretty quickly. They raced there a few weeks ago nine metres off the fence and on fresh ground.”
Waller said missing the Winx Stakes won’t cause too many disruptions for Fangirl’s preparation.
He said the mare had been given a thorough build up for her return outing, adding Fangirl was ticking over well ahead of her return which had been smooth.
“You’d hate to be on the back foot (at this time), and her second up run will probably be down there anyway,” Waller said.
“Mark Zahra will ride.”
Fangirl will not be the only member of the Waller army who will contest the Memsie Stakes, the first Group 1 race of the Melbourne Spring Carnival.
“We may have Moira, Anisette and Buckaroo in the Memsie as well,” he said.
Other likely Memsie contenders include Mr Brightside and Here To Shock from the Lindsay Park stable of Ben, Will and J D Hayes, Antino from the Tony Gollan stable, the Phillip Stokes-trained Deakin along with Another Wil and Zardozi in the hands of Ciaron Maher.
Nominations for the Caulfield meeting close on Saturday.
