Flirtini Closes In On Cameo Campaign
Trainer Simon Miller is looking forward to the return of Flirtini as the talented mare begins her countdown to dual Group 3 races in May.
Flirtini is due to start in the Northam Stakes (1100m) on May 2 and will then target the Group 3 Roma Cup (1200m) at Ascot 13 days later.
The Artie Schiller mare hasn’t raced since last January, but she indicated she was in fine fettle to resume after winning a 1000m Belmont trial today (Monday).
With Holly Watson in the saddle, Flirtini hooked to the outside before the turn and once balanced she let down strongly to out sprint Rock Magic by 1.25 lengths.
“She was good,” Simon Miller told The Races WA.
“The conditions are not to her liking when you get those slippery tracks.
“I said to Holly (Watson) to keep a hold of her until you straighten and when she is in a straight line let her rip.
“It’s the heaviest we’ve ever had her and she had a good blow.
“But we’ve got three weeks to the Northam Stakes now and she will tighten up over that.
“We then go a fortnight and let her prepare for the Roma Cup.”
Miller plans to give Flirtini just the two runs this campaign, designed to give her a good spell before tackling the Ascot carnival and another shot at the Winterbottom Stakes (1500m).
She charged home to run 2.5 lengths fifth to Elite Street last November, the exact same finishing position as a year earlier when trailing eastern states raider, Hey Doc.
“The main mission is the Winterbottom again,” Miller said.
“We’ll go Northam, Roma Cup and then go out and give her a really good break.
“We’ll aim up at that and we might be getting ahead of ourselves but maybe to a Sangster next year.
“While over there (Adelaide) she can look at going to stud,
“There is no doubt a big one is in her, we just need a bit of luck.
“She’s been working exceptionally well this time in and she’s still got it which is what we saw out
there (trials).”
Flirtini can add to her strike rate of six wins and nine placings from 24 starts.
She won the Group 3 Prince Of Wales Stakes (1000m) and Colonel Reeves Stakes (1100m) in 2019 and the Scenic Blast Stakes (1200m) earlier in January.
Closing in on $600,000 in stake earnings, Flirtini can go one better in the Northam Stakes after a runner-up finish to Fabergino last year.