Tom Charlton has warned punters to rule a line through the Silver Eagle performance of Snow In May and assess her on her previous efforts as the mare bids to bounce back in the Hot Danish Stakes at Rosehill.
Group 1 placed in last year’s Flight Stakes, Snow In May resumed with an eye-catching third in the Mona Lisa Stakes (1350m) at Wyong and was similarly competitive when fourth in the Golden Pendant (1400m).
Trapped wide from the outside barrier in the Silver Eagle (1300m), she didn’t shirk her task when finishing midfield and from gate two in the Hot Danish Stakes (1400m) on Saturday, co-trainer Charlton can make a case for her improving significantly.
“Her run in the Silver Eagle, you can probably put a line through it when she got caught four-deep,” Charlton said.
“Her run before that had a bit more merit and she is back to mares’ company now.
“It’s still a hard ask but on her best form she is capable of being very competitive.”
One-time Australian Derby hopeful Hurstville Zagreb will represent the stable in the Petaluma Handicap (1800m) chasing back-to-back wins following a dominant midweek performance.
The horse was on a classic path in the autumn until a race day incident in the tie-up stalls forced his scratching from a crucial lead-up race.
Charlton says Saturday’s Rosehill assignment is another important stepping stone for Hurstville Zagreb with a long-term view towards black-type grade.
“He’s a big, scopey horse that is getting better with racing and learning about the job,” Charlton said.
“He was really dominant second-up over the mile, which we thought might have been on the sharp side for him. He gets to 1800 and it should be a nice opportunity to hopefully get a Saturday win.
“We will keep working through the rating system and if he can keep going up, that will allow him to potentially get to some of those Listed and Group Three level races in time.”
Bartolf rounds out the stable’s string in the Ranvet Handicap (1200m) and will be chasing his first Saturday metropolitan win after claiming two of past three starts in provincial and midweek company.
