Trainer Clayton Douglas is looking at a previous trip to the tricky Moonee Valley circuit proving a bonus for Tiger Shark.
The former Queensland-trained mare made her debut for Douglas in a benchmark 100 grade race at The Valley on August 9 and returns to the track on Saturday to run in the Listed Norman Carlyon Stakes (1000m).
A Stakes winner in Queensland, Douglas’ brief when he took over the training of Tiger Shark from Natalie Mccall was to try and add some more Black Type to her record.
Success on Saturday would then likely see Tiger Shark progress to The Valley for a Group 1 assignment, the Moir Stakes, on September 6.
A noted on-pacer, Tiger Shark was ridden behind the speed in the five-horse field at The Valley in her first run for Douglas and the trainer was happy with how the mare finished off.
“We rode her a little bit more conservatively than she generally had been before,” Douglas said.
“She raced more on speed in Queensland, but it worked out with Midwest leading, we were able to take a trail.
“I just felt that her first time this way of going she just wanted to crab around the corner, so she should take benefit from her first run at The Valley.
“I’m really happy with how she’s done since her last run as she only had the one jump-out leading into it and she seems to have tightened up nicely.
“She’s a Stakes winner already and we wanted to see where she measures up to in this grade and you’ve got to say she measures up alright on what she did the other day and there’s nice improvement to come.”
Douglas believes Tiger Shark, a daughter of Rich Enuff, will benefit from a set of blinkers at some stage in her career, although he has resisted the headgear for the time being.
“She hasn’t had headgear on in her life and that might be the telling difference,” Douglas said
“Hopefully she gets even luck on the weekend.”
A field of nine is set to contest Saturday’s race with Tiger Shark drawn in gate eight with Luke Currie aboard.
