Connections of Rubisaki are eyeing a rich restricted race in Sydney after the filly defied a betting drift to win first-up at The Valley.
Part-owner Joe O’Neill said Rubisaki was being aimed at the $1 million Inglis Sprint at Warwick Farm in February following her victory in Saturday’s Ladbrokes Cash In Handicap.
Ridden by Jye McNeil, Rubisaki drifted from $3.30 to $4 before racing to a 2-1/2 length win from Alburq ($10) with South Street Boss ($61) a nose away third.
O’Neill and trainer Patrick Payne had planned an earlier start to Rubisaki’s campaign but it was hit by a setback ahead of her scheduled first-up run at Flemington in the Group Three Red Roses Stakes.
“She had a bit of a snotty nose leading up to that race,” O’Neill said.
“We thought she’d give that a real shake and then we were going to run in the Twilight Glow at Sandown (November 16), but we had to step back.
“The horse is more important than the race and we think she’s got a huge future.
“She’s eligible for an Inglis race in Sydney worth $1 million, a three-year-old race that she should get into, and it’s just a matter now of how Patrick wants to get her there.”
