Talented mare Cat’s Pyjamas has bounced back from a disappointing spring campaign with an impressive win at Caulfield.
The winner of her first two starts at Bendigo and Caulfield, the daughter of Fusaichi Pegasus failed to win in four starts last preparation but was back to her best in Saturday’s Betfair Hcp (1200m).
Ridden by Dean Yendall, Cat’s Pyjamas led all the way to score a first-up win by a half-length from Mythical Spirit with Status Symbol a length away third.
Last August the Mark Kavanagh-trained four-year-old was first-up when odds-on favourite at Geelong but came out the barriers pigrooting and finished at the tail of the field at the metropolitan-class meeting.
On that occasion she was ridden by apprentice Billy Egan who was blamed for using a saddle that was too big for the mare.
The shock defeat was among a number of issues which plagued her spring campaign which was eventually halted after she finished consecutive thirds at Sandown and Moonee Valley.
Assistant trainer Merv Harvey said that initially there were high hopes that Cat’s Pyjamas would be as good as her sister Cats Whisker who was a three-time Group winner and second in the 2008 Thousand Guineas.
“After she won her first two starts we thought she was going to be as good as her sister but she’s had a few issues that have held her back,” Harvey said.
“She’s a good honest mare but nothing went right with her last time in so we put her out and started again.”
He said she lacked maturity and had suffered minor joint problems, but this preparation had shown encouraging signs in her training that she would recapture her best form.
“She’s been going pretty good on the track and in the jumpouts so we expected her to go pretty well today,” Harvey said.
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