Robert Smerdon will wait until later in the week before deciding whether he will have two runners in Saturday’s Group One Robert Sangster Stakes in Adelaide.
Shamal Wind is a confirmed starter with Mark Zahra to ride, while connections of talented filly Politeness will choose between the Group One and a race in Sydney on the same day.
Politeness, an impressive last-start winner of the P J Bell Stakes, is being considered for the Group Three J H B Carr Stakes for fillies in Sydney and will also be nominated for the Group One All Aged Stakes.
Smerdon said he was likely to declare the filly for a Sydney race and the Sangster.
“I’m not sure which way we’ll go,” Smerdon said.
“We’ll make a decision probably midweek.”
Shamal Wind has been aimed at the 1200m Robert Sangster Stakes, known as the Sportingbet Classic, and heads to the race on the back of a convincing open handicap win at Flemington which was her first start for six weeks.
“She is in great shape,” Smerdon said.
“She galloped on Saturday morning on the course proper at Caulfield and it was terrific work. We’ll just tick her over now until Saturday.
“She goes well fresh and that’s why we have given her the gap of three weeks from the Flemington race.
“It’s a great opportunity for fillies and mares at the highest level against their own gender, which not often they get.”
Shamal Wind’s opposition is likely to include classy three-year-olds Gregers and Villa Verde as well as last year’s winner Platelet who is the early TAB fixed odds favourite.
Michael Rodd reunites with the Anthony Cummings-trained Group Two winner Villa Verde.
Rodd was the filly’s regular partner early in her career when she was trained by Shaun Dwyer.
