Gerald Ryan is adamant Arctic Glamour’s first-up win was no fluke, although he admits an outside gate has added a layer of difficulty to her next task as she bids to back up the performance in the Festival Stakes at Rosehill.
The mare started $41 when taking out the Hot Danish Stakes (1400m) earlier this month, her first start since finishing down the track in two Brisbane winter carnival runs.
Ryan felt those flops led to her inflated price and said the market didn’t account for her aversion to the Eagle Farm track.
“I told anyone who asked me she’d win. She was over the odds,” Ryan said.
“Her two runs in Queensland, she just would not stretch out at Eagle Farm, which a lot of horses don’t. Kerrin (McEvoy) came back in both times and said, ‘her run isn’t as bad as what it looks’.”
Arctic Glamour does boast a victory over subsequent multiple Group 1 winner Joliestar as a three-year-old, and her resume includes Group 2 placings behind Olentia and Schwarz, along with a fifth to Ceolwulf in last year’s Epsom Handicap (1600m).
Her Hot Danish Stakes victory was her first in two years, however, a combination of rain-affected tracks, which she doesn’t enjoy, and bad luck have contributed to her low strike rate, albeit she has banked more than $730,000 in 21 starts.
“She’s had a lot of genuine excuses,” Ryan said.
“But she worked really well on the Tuesday morning before she won, and I did the same work with her this Tuesday, and she worked equally as well.”
Arctic Glamour raced handy to the speed first-up, but Ryan is keen to study the race map in detail before deciding on tactics for Saturday.
While barrier 19 poses a challenge, he says the five-year-old needs to run to remain on target for The Ingham (1600m) at Randwick next month.
Stablemate Brosnan will go around in the Vale John Jeffs Handicap (1800m) with the advantage of a weight turnaround on last-start conqueror Luskaire, who defeated him just a half-length over the same course and distance on November 8.
“He’s consistent and honest and he meets the horse who beat him last start three kilos better on Saturday,” Ryan said.
“He won’t be far away.”
