Trainer David Vandyke will be looking to continue his fine start to the summer season when he sends the unbeaten filly Gypsy Goddess out into the Group 3 battle arena to contest the Grand Prix Stakes at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
The Vandyke stable has enjoyed a stellar start to the month claiming no less than five victories over the first four days of summer … a run of results which underlined the quality of the stable runners.
These results, amongst others, included Weona Smartone winning for the eighth successive time, Toorooloo completing a hat trick of wins and Gypsy Goddess maintaining her perfect record which now stands at three wins from three starts.
Gypsy Goddess surprised everybody when winning at a starting price of $26 on debut … odds almost unheard of from a Vandyke trained runner … but it was scorching come from behind manner of victory that captured attention and punters made no such mistake in her second start where Gypsy Goddess again got the job done, this time at odds of $2.70 with Sportsbet.
Those two wins came over 1400m and 1600m and Vandyke had no hesitation in stepping up the distance test again for Gypsy Goddess’s third start and the 2000m trip in the Eagle Way Quality duly proved to be no obstacle for the three-year-old daughter of Tarzino, a fact emphasised by the clearcut 1.25 length winning margin over Pool Pony.
Pool Pony is one of the six rivals that Gypsy Goddess will face in the Grand Prix Stakes. Pool Pony’s task has been made more difficult by the fact that he now meets Gypsy Goddess at 2kg worse off at weights.
And the set weights conditions would appear to be a big factor in the race for most of the remaining runners as well.
Caboche has won two out of his last three starts. He finished 7.40 length behind Gypsy Goddess in the Eagle Way, but he does now meet the Vandyke runner on 1.5kg better at the weights.
Sergeant Silva is another who finished well back behind Gypsy Goddess in the Golden Way. He is 0.5kg better off for a 7.00 length defeat.
Belmaurice was beaten 6.25 lengths in the Golden Way and is now 2kg worse off with the Vandyke runner while Star Twinkle, who has finished well back at Toowoomba and Dalby in all of his last four starts looks outclassed on paper.
That leaves Ironic Miss as possibly the one to throw a spanner in the works of the Gypsy Goddess parade. Trained by Rodney Ollerton at Newcastle, the visitor has finished a close up second in his last two starts in heavy going over 1850m and 2100m, suggesting he will be staying on when some others might be weakening.
Like every other runner in the field though, the step up to Group 3 company is a hurdle to be negotiated. It could trip him up as he jumps from Class 1 level.
All things being equal, the Grand Prix Stakes does look to be Gypsy Goddess’s race to win.
If she does, she will have come a long way in a relatively short period of time as that memorable long-priced maiden victory arrived just two months ago on October 17.
Either way, it has been quite a preparation for the lightly raced three-year-old.
