As a five-year-old, Joliestar is at the top of her game, and trainer Chris Waller says the evidence of that is in her consistency.
The mare will shoot for her third successive win in Saturday’s T J Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick, a feat she hasn’t managed before in a singular campaign.
While she has performed at a high level since her three-year-old season, she hasn’t always been able to sustain her form throughout an entire preparation – until now.
“I can’t fault her. She is two from two this ‘prep’, and she is a confident lady who is taking the next step with consistency,” Waller said.
“You just see that with more mature horses. That’s the difference between your five-year-olds and your four-year-olds.
“Your four-year-olds still do a few little things wrong, but the five-year-olds, they know what they’re doing. They can race themselves.”
Resuming with a determined victory over subsequent Newmarket Handicap victor Caballus in the Expressway Stakes (1200m), Joliestar backed it up with a strong performance to claim the Canterbury Stakes (1300m).
She heads into the T J Smith with almost a month between runs, a formula she has responded to well in the past.
Waller has also been mindful of keeping something in the tank beyond the Sydney autumn carnival with Joliestar slated to campaign in England at the start of their summer.
That will involve her having a week’s hiatus after Saturday’s assignment before heading to the trainer’s Melbourne base where she can work and trial at Flemington to replicate the straight course conditions overseas.
But Waller’s immediate focus is on the T J Smith Stakes where Joliestar is on the third line of early betting at $4.40, behind only three-year-old Tentyris ($3 fav) and Jimmysstar ($4).
Tentyris will be striving to become the first of his age group to topple the older sprinters since Trapeze Artist in 2018.
