Mark Newnham has a knack for unearthing an emerging filly in the major three-year-old races and Flight Stakes contender Von Trapp might just be his latest product.
The daughter of superstar Frankel heads into Saturday’s Group 1 feature boasting a similar profile to Nakeeta Jane, who was in her first preparation when she placed in the corresponding race at just her third start in 2018.
Newnham says the two are different types physically but equally progressive at the same stage of their careers.
“She’s tiny, Nakeeta Jane was a big filly,” Newnham said.
“But she has a similar profile in that she hasn’t had many runs, coming off a maiden win.
“Nakeeta Jane went in there at her third start in a race, this one’s going in at her fourth.
“This has been her target all the way through.”
Newnham has a great record in placing unexposed fillies in the right races at the right time.
Along with Nakeeta Jane, Maid Of Heaven was a maiden winner at Canterbury before she finished sixth in the 2018 Flight Stakes then claimed the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes, while Harmony Rose finished third in the Randwick Guineas at just her fifth run last autumn.
Von Trapp had her first taste of black-type company last start and put the writing on the wall when she finished strongly for an eye-catching fourth to Four Moves Ahead in the Tea Rose Stakes (1400m), which was dominated by the on-speed runners.
Newnham is confident Von Trapp has the arsenal to make her presence felt in Saturday’s Flight Stakes (1600m), which he believes is ripe to produce a surprise result.
“There are a lot of fillies coming out of those 1200 and 1400 metre races that may not run the mile out strongly, so a filly on the way up like her, it looks like a good opportunity,” Newnham said.
“The other day she ran the best splits of the race. The best 600 and the best 200. I’m confident in her if it’s wet or dry, so I’m sure whatever conditions get thrown up she’ll be competitive.
“She’s going there in the best condition of her prep and she’ll need to be because it’s the best race she has been in. But she’s going well.”
The Flight Stakes is the final race in the four-leg Princess series and has attracted a field of 16 fillies.
Queenslander Startantes will back-up from a solid sixth in the Golden Rose and is a $3.60 TAB fixed odds favourite in early markets with Von Trapp a $17 chance.
