David Page hopes Saturday’s Leon Macdonald Stakes (1400m) at Morphettville will provide stable pin-up Wild Imagination the perfect dress rehearsal for next month’s Balaklava Cup, as well as a surprise tilt at the Perth Cup.
The daughter of Makfi, who gave the Murray Bridge horseman his greatest success in racing via a win in the Listed Premier’s Plate (2000m) earlier this year, is two runs into her campaign, having tackled the Mildura Cup and Behemoth Stakes in recent weeks.
While Page concedes that the eight-year-old may need further than the 1400m to be competitive at weight-for-age, he’s been thrilled with the mare’s recent performances and is optimistic she can run a cheeky race at $51.
Feature country cups await Wild Imagination in South Australia over the coming weeks, while the mare is a strong chance to headline Page’s travelling party during a worming holiday to Western Australia over the summer.
“She’s probably not at her right trip just yet but just with her rating as high as it is, it’s a bit hard to place her,” Page said.
“Last time in, she went a lot better when we raced her every 10 to 14 days so we thought we’d run in the Behemoth last start and we picked up a bit of chaff money.
“We’ll keep pocking her along and probably go to the Balaklava Cup after Saturday.
“I’m going to head to Esperance in November for the season over there so, all going well, we’ll take her over there and possibly run her in the Perth Cup.
“We’ve been planning the trip for a couple of years and it’s all happening now so we’ll see how we go.”
Victorian visitors Splash Back, Running By and Café Millenium are at the pointy end of betting for the Leon Macdonald Stakes.
