I’ve just got home from a pow wow with Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott; we sat around the table talking about the way forward for Secret Spirit, the impressive winner of Saturday’s O’Leary Stakes – her third Listed Race victory on the trot.
We have nutted out a plan and it doesn’t include the Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes at Hastings on Saturday week. Another race not on her agenda is the Sarten Memorial on Labour Day.
Secret Spirit’s races have been well spaced and her next run with be in three weeks time, the Group 3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m) where she will take on the boys. Safely through that run she will turn out again four weeks later in the Listed Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) on the same track. All being well from there, a trip to Riccarton for the 1000 Guineas-Gr.1, is her final run for this campaign. She is entered for the 2000 Guineas, but is unlikely to run.
Secret Spirit, from the second crop of Westbury Stud’s powerhouse stallion Swiss Ace, looked fantastic when I inspected her this morning. She was back in her box on Saturday night after the trip away to Wanganui.
Syndicate member David Grant travelled up from the deep south to witness Secret Spirit's third-straight black type victory on Saturday. Part of the big Challenge No.2 Syndicate team look on. Photo by Ken Davies