Toowoomba trainer Kevin Kemp has elected to start Sold For Song’s campaign at the Gold Coast rather than take the talented mare to Sydney for her return to racing.
He accepted in the Matt Dunn Racing Open Handicap (1200m) at the Gold Coast and the Show County Quality (1200m) at Randwick on Saturday.
In the end Kemp decided to head to the Gold Coast but still has interstate races in mind for the mare who will be having her first start since a disastrous trip to Melbourne.
Sold For Song suffered some superficial injuries when she was battered around when last at Flemington in the Linlithgow Stakes won by Rich Charm on November 4.
That was her most recent run and the worst of her 24-race career which has netted wins in the Listed Daybreak Lover Stakes and Listed Gold Edition Plate as a three-year-old and seven stakes placings as an older mare.
Kemp has given Sold For Song plenty of time to get over her Flemington run.
“She has come back a stronger mare. She has had two jump-outs do she is ready to race,” he said.
Sold For Song is the $5.50 second favourite for her first-up assignment behind Dal Cielo, a Group One winner in New Zealand as a two-year-old when he was trained by Murray Baker.
Now trained by Kris Lees at Newcastle, Dal Cielo was the TAB’s $3.30 favourite on Thursday after his fourth at Rosehill behind Trekking, beaten half a length.
Kemp has never been afraid to travel with Sold For Song who has raced well in Sydney and Melbourne.
“She is another disadvantaged by Eagle Farm being closed as she won twice and was never out of the place there,”he said.
Kemp said one of Sold For Song’s best runs had been at the Gold Coast where she finished second to future Group One winner Takedown in the Gold Coast Guineas
“I have always wanted to run her at Randwick and her four Sydney starts were all at Rosehill,” he said.
“We can head down there for the mares races later in the spring and there is the Brisbane summer carnival. Also I can chase a wild card into the Magic Millions with her.”
