VRC Oaks winner Set Square will bypass the P B Lawrence Stakes with trainer Ciaron Maher preferring to give the mare another trial before sending her to the races.
Set Square was entered for Saturday’s Group Two race over 1400 metres at Caulfield but after watching her trial on Monday, Maher said the four-year-old would trial again and was likely to return in the Group One Memsie Stakes on August 29.
She finished at the tail of the field in her 800m hit-out on heavy ground at Cranbourne, with the exciting Rich Enuff winning the heat in 48.31 seconds.
“She was good,” Maher said.
“It was a pretty quick trial. She got back and it’s hard to make up ground in a short trial on that sort of ground.
“Mark Zahra said she was good through the line and she’ll have another trial at Cranbourne in a fortnight.
“She’ll probably resume in the Memsie.”
Maher said the mare was still a bit soft and he used the trial to gauge how forward she was.
“I just felt she probably needs another trial to bring her up to match practice,” he said.
The Caulfield Cup is Set Square’s main aim and Maher is looking forward to the spring.
“She’s a stronger, more mature mare now,” he said.
Nominations for the weight-for-age P B Lawrence have been extended with 10 entries taken on Monday.
Popular Tasmanian front-runner The Cleaner is nominated to make his spring return.
The Wez Hunter-trained last-start Bletchingly Stakes winner Smokin’ Joey is also among the entries while David Hayes and Tom Dabernig have former Hong Kong galloper Dibayani set to make his debut for the stable.
Hayes and Dabernig have also entered Petrology, Gai Waterhouse Excess Knowledge in the mix while Group Two winner Mourinho is down to make his return.
