Costume is a dual Group One winner in New Zealand and a victory in Australia at the highest level will further enhance the value of the foal she is carrying into the Mackinnon Stakes.
The Graeme and Debbie Rogerson-trained mare, who has returned a positive test to Pins, is the outsider in Saturday’s Mackinnon (2000m) for what will be her penultimate start.
But the ever-confident Graeme Rogerson, who pulled off a Mackinnon upset with La Bella Dama in 2001, believes Costume can do the same.
“Her pattern is to get back and she should be running along at the end,” Rogerson said.
“She is not very big but she is a genuine weight-for-age horse and they’ll know she’s there.
“She has tested positive to Pins at the 30-day stage and after the Mackinnon she will return to New Zealand and run in the Zabeel Classic before she goes to Waikato Stud to be a mother.
“She has a lovely nature and will make a wonderful broodmare.”
Costume is raced by former Waikato Stud boss Garry Chittick who has passed the reins to his son Mark.
Pins and the mare’s sire Savabeel, who Rogerson trained to win the 2004 Cox Plate, both stand at the stud.
Blake Shinn will ride Costume from gate two with favourite Criterion drawn inside her.
The race will be run without one of its main attractions, last year’s winner Side Glance.
The English horse was ruled out of the Mackinnon on Thursday with a fetlock injury.
His absence leaves the Roger Varian-trained Farraaj as the sole overseas visitor in the Group One race.
Farraaj has come up with the so-called visitor’s draw and will be ridden out of the widest gate by Andrea Atzeni.
Varian’s travelling foreman David Eustace said he believed Farraaj could overcome the barrier.
“We’ve had a smooth passage with him, then we got 15 of 15 which wasn’t ideal,” he said.
“His best performance on ratings was at York two starts back and he was drawn on the outside in 18 of 18 and he got the box seat from the gate, so he’s got gate speed.
“Looking at the race, four or five will jump and try and go on and sit in a handy position.
“We won’t go mad on him. We’ll jump out and see what everyone else is doing and slot in.”
