Champion trainer Darren Weir has confirmed Whispering Brook will get her chance at a Group One win in the C F Orr Stakes, with the in-form mare to join a number of her stablemates in the weight-for-age race at Caulfield.
Whispering Brook, who started her career in Western Australia with trainer Simon Miller, is unbeaten in three starts this preparation including the Group Three Standish Handicap and Friday night’s Group Two Australia Stakes.
Whispering Brook has had four previous attempts at Group One level with her best result a third in the Thousand Guineas (1600m) as a spring three-year-old.
The mare has been kept to 1200m-races or shorter in her seven starts for Weir but he is happy to give the five-year-old her chance in the Orr (1400m) on Saturday week while she is in top form.
Whispering Brook beat a quality field in the Australia Stakes (1200m) which included three of her stablemates – Land Of Plenty (3rd), Fifty Stars (6th) and Brave Smash (9th).
“They have come through the race really well,” Weir said.
“They will all go to the Orr.
“We’ll give Whispering Brook her chance.
“She will run 1400 metres the way she went on Friday night.
“Land Of Plenty was great and he’s on track. And I thought Fifty Stars was great right on the line.
“Brave Smash, that’s about where he was at.
“He will make that ground up. It’s similar to what he did last year.”
Brave Smash was unplaced as favourite in last year’s Australia Stakes first-up before finishing a close third in the Orr.
He then won the Group One Futurity Stakes.
Another of the Weir stable’s high profile autumn contenders is set to resume at Caulfield on Saturday, with Nature Strip scheduled to run in the Listed W J Adams Stakes (1000m).
“He looks unreal,” Weir said.
“He will gallop on Tuesday and then he will run on Saturday in the Listed 1000-metre race.”
The Group One Lightning Stakes (1000m) and Group One Oakleigh Plate (1100m) are options for Nature Strip.
