Doomben to decide winter plans for Elegant
Trainer Chris Anderson is still wondering how high to aim with unbeaten mare Elegant Composure who makes her city debut at Doomben.
Elegant Composure made it four wins from four starts at her first run from a spell at the Sunshine Coast on March 16.
Her city debut in the Cardno Handicap on Saturday is a highlight of the Doomben meeting.
Anderson said Elegant Composure looked likely to improve enough to be a genuine winter carnival horse but he was yet to decide how high to set the bar.
“She is very adaptable and he had not doubt she was more than a 1200-metre sprinter,” Anderson said.
“Elegant Composure can run on the pace, she can be midfield or she can get back. I have four or five horses which are showing similar ability to her.
“But she is the one who has done it on race day. The question is whether she wants 1400 or even 1600 metres.”
Anderson said provided Elegant Composure raced well on Saturday she would head to the Sunshine Coast in two weeks.
“If she wins both of those races her rating will go up and we can start looking at the winter carnival fillies and mares feature races. It will decide how high we aim with her,” he said.
Jim Byrne, who expects to be fit to ride Elegant Composure after missing Wednesday’s Ipswich meeting, has a big opinion of the filly.
“I rode her in a trial and then at the Sunshine Coast. She has plenty of ability,” he said.
Meanwhile, Anderson expects promising three-year-old Subsolar to be improved by her first run since finishing an unlucky third in at the Gold Coast on March 12.
Subsolar meets a field of winter carnival hopefuls in the Secutor Securities Handicap (1350m).
“I can hardly wait until she gets to Eagle Farm over a middle distance,” Anderson said.