After a false start last week, Winx’s half-sister City Of Lights is set to make her debut this Sunday.
The daughter of Deep Impact and Vegas Showgirl is down to run in the 1418-metre three-year-old fillies maiden that is the fourth race on the Geelong card and is scheduled to run at 1:55PM AEST.
City Of Lights was an acceptor for a 1300m race at Cranbourne last Friday night, but was withdrawn on race morning owing to a Heavy track and co-trainer Sam Freedman said Sunday’s 1418m race shaped as a better option where she is the current $3.70 favourite with Ladbrokes.
“Cranbourne was pretty bottomless (and) we weren’t that keen to see her on a bottomless track at her first start,” Freedman said.
“She’s a filly with good talent, but she’d probably be a miler I would suggest.”
City Of Lights will become the fourth to race from Vegas Showgirl, whose second foal was four-time Cox Plate winner and $26m earner Winx, a daughter of Street Cry.
Four other products of Vegas Showgirl did not race with Group 3 Kindergarten Stakes winner El Divino, a son of Snitzel, her best to date outside of Winx.
City Of Lights is the result of a union between Vegas Showgirl and Japanese legend Deep Impact in spring 2018 and Freedman, who trains in partnership with his father Anthony, is not surprised she has taken until late in her three-year-old season to get to the races.
“She’s just been a little bit immature and, by Deep Impact, she’s obviously going to improve with a bit of age and some racing,” Freedman said of the filly who was bred by her owner, John Camilleri.
“We haven’t wanted to rush her and her owner’s been happy to be patient. We wanted to make sure she’s going really before we head to the races with that pedigree, but she’s ready to go.”
Ben Allen has the ride on City Of Lights at Geelong with the pair to jump from the inside alley in the capacity field of 14.
