Villiers Stakes winner Monton will spearhead trainer Ron Quinton’s autumn team with a tilt at the Group One Doncaster Mile his goal.
Quinton said the five-year-old had pulled up well despite enduring a tough run to land the Group Two Villiers at Warwick Farm last Saturday week.
“He came through it really well. He’s gone for a little holiday now,” Quinton said.
“We’ll certainly nominate him for the Doncaster but we’ll start off targeting races over shorter trips and build him up.”
The winner of the Hobartville Stakes (1400m) as a three-year-old, Monton was considered suspect over a mile before this campaign.
But resounding wins in both the Listed Festival Stakes (1500m) and the Villiers (1600m) have opened up his options.
Unfortunately for connections, a Brisbane winter carnival campaign is not one of them.
Monton didn’t fire in two Queensland runs for former trainer Tim Martin and also failed to take his best form to New Zealand where he contested two Group One sprints earlier this year.
Quinton said Monton did much better at home, which was the reason he elected to freshen him up for the autumn.
“There was no point giving him a good break and heading to Brisbane. He’s not a good traveller so we’re better off to stay at home,” Quinton said.
The former top jockey is also looking forward to the autumn return of Crafty Irna.
The mare made a meteoric rise through the grades last autumn progressing from a maiden win at Hawkesbury to claim the Group Three Adrian Knox Stakes.
She was again competitive at Group level in the spring finishing runner-up to Lamasery in the Kingston Town Stakes before a midfield effort in the Metropolitan Handicap.
Quinton had planned to give her one more start but was waylaid by a setback.
“She had an infected leg so we tipped her out but she’s come back in looking brilliant,” Quinton said.
Crafty Irna has been back in work at Quinton’s Randwick stables for two weeks and will resume in March with the fillies and mares races her targets.
“She will more than likely kick off in the Millie Fox over 1300 metres then progress to the Aspiration and on to the Epona,” Quinton said.
“She’s done a treat.”
AAP TURF
