Edward O’Rourke is weighing up his options with From Within as the filly zeroes in on her for first start with the Irish trainer.
O’Rourke has accepted for races at Randwick on Saturday and Canterbury the night before, and said discussions with owners in Singapore, Hong Kong and South Africa would determine where the three-year-old resumed.
If she runs in the Book Summer Holiday Today Sprint (1100m) at Canterbury she will have Kerrin McEvoy aboard to help overcome a wide gate and older, more experienced mares.
Josh Parr will ride her if she starts in the ANZ Bloodstock News Handicap (1100m) at Randwick from barrier three, but the Chris Waller-trained colt Calculated, with McEvoy in the saddle, shapes as an obstacle to a first-up win.
“There’s pros and cons to both options. If we go Friday you’ve got seasoned four-year-olds in there and she’s been off the track since April,” O’Rourke said.
“On the other hand Calculated looks like a horse on the up.”
Raffles Thoroughbred Racing transferred the filly from Waller to O’Rourke’s stable in May, shortly after he took out his training licence.
“I was just lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time,” he said.
From Within won on debut at Canterbury last December but was unplaced in Group company in the autumn.
She fractured a splint bone in July but recovered and showed she was ready for her return with an encouraging trial at Randwick last month when she beat black-type winner Arbeitsam.
O’Rourke, who took out his licence when his boss Michael Freedman went to Hong Kong, also has this year’s Golden Slipper runner-up Frolic back in work in anticipation of a trial at the end of January.
O’Rourke said the filly would probably resume in the Group Two Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on February 17.
“We’ll decide what route we take with her from there. We have to decide whether to keep her sprinting or try and step her out to a mile,” he said.
