As one of the owners of Villami, trainer Gerald Ryan gets a bigger say than normal when it comes to plans for the filly.
He pinpointed Saturday’s Listed Fireball Stakes (1100m) as a perfect start to her autumn campaign and knew he had made the right call a couple of seconds after the barriers opened.
With Tim Clark aboard, Villlami ($6) took the race by the scruff of the neck and left her six rivals struggling.
Cosmic Force ($4 eq fav) gave chase late but only got within 1-1/4 lengths with California Zimbol ($4.40) another 2-3/4 lengths third.
“Eighty metres after the start, I was confident,” Ryan said.
“She jumped so well and when I saw how she was able to control the race, I was more confident.”
Villami’s spring form said she perhaps should have been a better chance than her odds suggested.
She finished fourth and second in Randwick races won by star filly Libertini and third, less than half a length from the winner Loving Gaby, in a race at The Valley.
“She is a stronger version this time in,” Clark said.
“She came out well and she is well-prepared and she did run into a flying Libertini last time in.”
Ryan said he and his fellow owners had a plan which included the Brisbane winter carnival.
“I own 25 per cent and we had worked out to maybe have a couple of runs in Sydney and then aim at Brisbane and 1400 metres in the Tatt’s Tiara,” he said.
“But we can take our time deciding what to do.
“She is bigger and stronger now and has plenty of options.”
The TAB reacted by tightening her in races which may or may not be options, trimming the filly from $51 to $15 for the Group One William Reid at The Valley and $15 to $8 in the Group Two Arrowfield Sprint at Randwick.
TAB also introduced her as an $11 chance to the market for the Galaxy at Rosehill in two weeks,.
