Stablemates Powers Of Opal and Inevitable Truth both have the ATC Australian Oaks as their carnival goal but the pair will take different paths towards it.
Powers Of Opal will have her next start in Saturday’s Phar Lap Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill before heading to the blue riband via the Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m).
Inevitable Truth heads to the Kembla Grange Classic (1600m) on Friday, hoping to stake her credentials and emulate the feat of trainer John Sargent’s former smart mare Luvaluva, who won it in 2018.
“I think she will give it a shake on Friday because I do think she is a lot stronger than she was in the spring,” Sargent said.
“She will probably go on from there to the Adrian Knox (Stakes) and then the Oaks.”
Inevitable Truth finished fourth in a brace of middle-distance fillies features in Melbourne during the spring and was narrowly beaten over an unsuitable 1300m first-up.
Sargent has since made a minor gear adjustment and expects Tyler Schiller to give her an economical run from barrier nine on Friday.
“She just got run down first-up at Kembla. She didn’t see the other horse coming so I’ve changed from blinkers to visors,” he said.
“The draw isn’t bad. She will probably be in the first half of the field, but I will leave it to Tyler.”
VRC Oaks runner-up Powers Of Opal ended up on an inferior section of the track when unplaced behind Lady Shenandoah first-up in the Surround Stakes (1400m) after making good headway between the 400m and 200m.
Saturday’s race will be another stepping stone but Sargent predicts an improved performance.
“On what I’m seeing in the last couple of weeks, she has definitely gone up a level,” Sargent said.
“Hopefully you see it on Saturday and then she will really be in the thick of it in the Vinery and the Oaks.”
