A big weight rather than a wet track concerns trainer Scott Morrisey ahead of Perilous Love’s bid for an Australian Oaks berth.
Perilous Love carried 55kg to win at Doomben by five lengths over 2030m on March 11 but has 59kg in the Three-Year-Old Hcp (2000m) on Saturday.
“It is our biggest worry but that is the way they handicap them here. We did consider claiming but she is a funny horse and needs a senior rider,” Morrisey said.
“She can hit a flat spot in her races and many jockeys have thought she was gone. But in effect she is ready to go again.”
“Jim Orman handled her well at Doomben so we have stuck with him.”
The filly has won three of her past four Brisbane starts over middle distances.
Perilous Love is by Love Conquers All who is best known for producing sprinters but she is stoutly bred on her dam’s side.
Gold Coast-based Morrisey and his trainer father John have had a long association with the family of Perilous Love.
“Her dam Perri Lou is a half-sister to Pembleton who was one of our best sprinters a decade ago. But her second dam Royal Aria won up to 2000 metres and ran in an Australian Oaks,” Morrisey said.
“Another of her relatives ran fourth in a Hong Kong Derby.”
Handy stayers Fulmonti and Mirjulisa Lass are also in the family tree.
He said the prospect of a heavy track was not a worry.
Morrisey said if Perilous Love raced well she would head to Sydney for the Australian Oaks on April 8.
“I would obviously love to have an Oaks runner in Sydney. But if she isn’t ready to go there we can always come back for the Queensland Oaks,” he said.
Morrisey will also have Pegapus in Saturday’s race with the filly 10th behind her stablemate last time out.
“Her run last start was a lot better than it looked,” Morrisey said.
“She got left in front and had to fold. I would expect her to get back a bit this time.”
