There was of repeat of the Anzac Day gap-job, but Concord Connie reinforced her status as one of the Victoria’s most promising female gallopers with another Flemington on Saturday.
The Charlotte Littlefield-trained daughter of Contributer cruised to a 1-1/4-length win in the $150,000 K A Morrison Handicap (1400m) for three-year-olds.
The winning margin might not have been as emphatic as her six-length win at the same track three weeks earlier, but it came after rider Jett Stanley dropped the whip midway down the straight, which only added merit to the performance in the eyes of her trainer.
“Obviously she wasn’t quite as dominant today, but now we find out why,” Littlefield said minutes after the win.
“But he probably went one too many with the ‘shillelagh’ (whip) last time, and this time he couldn’t use it at all.
“She’s a horse that wants to be a racehorse, I think she enjoys that challenge, and she probably just wanted a bit more of a challenge today.”
Despite travelling whip-free over the concluding stages, Concord Connie – the $1.35 favourite – defeated Flying Done ($17) with The Volta ($8.50) a further 1-1/4 lengths back third.
Stanley revealed post-race the whip got caught in Concord Connie’s mane just as he was about to give her a couple of reminders, but put a jovial slant on things post-race.
“I knew I was on the best horse in the race and I’ve been getting done for fines and suspensions with the whip, so I thought I’d throw it away at the 300 and get the job done easy,” Stanley said with a smile.
Stanley then seriously put the win, his 200th as a jockey, into perspective.
“She’s probably come to the end of her preparation and she was probably looking for the mile, too, today,” he said.
“They just went a little bit of a harder tempo today and, you could see, I just had to ask her a little bit earlier than I did last time and that just took that little bit of electric turn of foot away from her.
“But I feel, next preparation you’ll see a biggest, stronger and a more robust horse.”
Littlefield now has several months to plan a spring path for Concord Connie but the Pakenham trainer said her liking for Flemington meant she was a big chance to be directed towards the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) on Derby Day.
