Lucy Fiore will get her first taste of racing action in Queensland when she partners the Daniel Morton trained Super Smink in the Group 1 Tatts Tiara at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
A star rider in Western Australia, Fiore has enjoyed a rousing run of success in that state in recent times where her feature race successes, amongst others, includes winning the Group 3 WA Oaks aboard Wonderfully Made and, just last week, winning the Listed Belmont Guineas in which she got the well performed Hot And High home by a nostril in an absolutely thrilling finish.
The Tatts Tiara will be Super Smink’s third race over the Queensland Winter Carnival, having already contested the Listed Helen Coughlan Stakes over 1200m and the Group 2 Dane Ripper Stakes over 1300m … finishing unplaced on both occasions.
Prior to that the daughter of Super One contested successive Group 1 races … in the Sangster Stakes and the Goodwood, both over 1200m … where she again came up short of getting her number into the frame, although it should be noted that she was only 1.50 lengths behind the winner in the Goodwood and finished 2.55 lengths away in the Sangster.
The step up in distance to the 1400m in the Tatts Tiara should help Super Smink’s cause.
She is a three-time winner at the trip … including in Group 2 company and at Group 3 level (twice).
Barrier number fourteen will complicate Fiore’s task of negotiating a path which will ensure Super Smink will be in contention when it matters most.
Super Smink, who is a $34 chance according to leading Aussie betting sites, has won two out of six starts on soft going … which is the current rating of the Eagle Farm track.
Earlier in the day, Fiore has the chance to make an immediate impact on the Queensland scene when she takes the reins on the last start winner Secret Sort in the opening race on the card.
The Donna Stanbridge trained three-year-old has raced in feature race company in six of his ten career starts to date with those results including a third placing in the Listed Phelan Ready Stakes and a fourth placing in the B J McLachlan Stakes, a good effort, although unplaced, seventh in the $3 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic … and a third placing in the $1 million Magic Millions 3YO Guineas … which were all achieved in successive races from November 30, 2024 to May 23, 2025.
The gelding was then out of action for eleven months before resuming on April 25 this year.
The son of Tassort did not carry on from where he had left off, by way of contrast, seeming to struggle in his first three runs back (all unplaced, two again in feature race company), but Secret Sort then found winning form last time out when landing a QTIS Three-Year-Old BM Handicap over 1000m.
That win was at the Gold Coast in a far weaker field than he meets here.
Whether that result indicated that Secret Sort is on his way back and on track to reach the full potential he showed earlier in his career … or not … will only be known on Saturday.
Fiore will be hoping that he is.
The betting … Secret Sort is quoted as a $27 chance according to popular betting apps Australia … suggesting he still has some way to go.
