A couple of hours before her elder sister bids for a million dollar payday at Rosehill, Southern Strike will face the toughest test of her fledgling career at Caulfield.
The two-year-old half-sister and stablemate to Caulfield Cup winner Southern Speed, comes up against some quality fillies led by Alezan Thunder in the Easter Egg Hunt Hcp (1100m).
Southern Speed and Leon Macdonald will be in Sydney preparing for the $2.25 million BMW (2400m) but the Adelaide trainer will be keeping a close eye on the filly he thinks can rise through the ranks in the spring.
Southern Strike earned the trip to Melbourne with victory over 1000 metres at Morphettville last Saturday week at her second start after racing greenly on debut.
“This is a big step up in grade for her but will give us an idea of where we are going,” Macdonald said.
“She will go to the paddock for a spell after Saturday and we will bring her back for the spring.
“The Thousand Guineas is definitely a race we have in mind.
“I think she can develop into a stayer.
“Everything she is doing now she is doing on sheer ability.
“She still doesn’t really know what it’s all about.”
“She’s not as big as Southern Speed but she copes with her workload really well.”
Alezan Thunder dominated TAB Sportsbet’s market on Thursday at $1.85 with Kid Gloves at $7 and Southern Strike next at $12.
The favourite was prepared by Mark Kavanagh when she ran third in the Magic Millions Classic in January and has since joined the fledgling Adelaide stable of the trainer’s son Sam.
Southern Strike is by American stallion Artie Schiller who notched his first Australian Group One winner last Saturday when Laser Hawk took out the Rosehill Guineas to earn favouritism for the Australian Derby on April 14.
