Smerdon looks to spring with Iggimacool
Having won Listed races in Tasmania and now Melbourne, Iggimacool will be given her chance in Group company next campaign.
Iggimacool raced to victory in Saturday’s Winter Championship Series Final (1600m) at Flemington, adding to her two Listed wins in Tasmania earlier in her career.
The five-year-old has been with Melbourne trainer Robert Smerdon since last year and Saturday’s $150,000 race had been a target since she returned to work from surgery to remove a bone chip from a fetlock after last year’s spring carnival.
“She’s a good quality mare. She’s won Listed races in Tassie and she’s now won a Listed race here,” Smerdon said.
“So we’ll back off, give her a little freshen-up and then see if we can find a Group race for mares’ through the spring and give her the chance at a higher level than Listed level where she’s a multiple winner.”
Iggimacool has won three races in Melbourne from 11 starts since joining Smerdon’s team while she won six from 18 when trained by Bill Ryan in Tasmania including the 2014 Listed Tasmanian Oaks and Listed Tasmanian Stakes.
“Bill Ryan trained her in Tassie and I’ve known Bill for a long time,” Smerdon said.
“Bill has stayed with us a number of times when he brings a horse across here to Melbourne.
“He just said `she’s weighted out of Tasmania’. He said apart from that bit of a summer series, there’s nowhere else to run her – she’s got to go to the mainland.
“And going over and back isn’t that viable. The travel is a bit hard on them.
“So I was the fortunate person to get a tried, quality horse.
“She’s won three races here now so she’s been a good pick-up.”