Star filly set to shine for Shane Nichols Racing in Kewney Stakes
THE Shane Nichols-trained I Am A Star has been one of the best-backed runners at Flemington on Saturday as the star filly lines up in the Kewney Stakes!
Bookmakers have trimmed its opening quote of $2.70 into $2.30 on the back of confident betting support and it looks justified after the three-year-old had little luck in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate last start.
Nichols thought the circumstances resulted in the seventh position, but it has worked well in preparation for Saturday’s task.
“She’s been excellent,” Nichols told horsebetting.com.au. “From the bad barrier it just made it very difficult and she copped a bit of interference coming out of the gates which caused her to go back to last.
“When you settle last on a leader-dominated race it makes it difficult. She ran 10.5 seconds from the 1000m to the 600m, so it’s still a creditable run to finish where she did.”
The return to Flemington will help the daughter of I Am Invincible which is unbeaten on the track. It scored an impressive win in the Group 1 Myer Classic in the spring and Nichols is hoping it can continue that good track record.
“She’s never been beaten at Flemington. Two runs there and won them both, that’s pretty good form,” Nichols said.
I Am A Star will likely target the Sunline Stakes at Moonee Valley before embarking on a possible Sydney campaign for the Doncaster Handicap during The Championships.
“Hopefully she’ll run well on Saturday then she’ll go to the Sunline,” Nichols said. “If she performs well in the Sunline then we will have a look at going to Sydney for the Doncaster, only if the track isn’t a bog.
“Or the Coolmore Legacy which is a week after the Doncaster. We are bearing in mind those two races in Adelaide – the Sangster and The Goodwood – as they’re both worth $1 million.”
Nichols is resisting the temptation to run his stable star over longer distances and will instead hold at the mile this season.
“Not during the autumn, but who knows what could happen in the spring. At this stage she won’t go further than the mile,” Nichols added.
I Am A Star faces a field of 15 in Saturday’s Kewney Stakes and will run as the dominating favourite.