One Aye developing an iron mare reputation
Less is more when it comes to the training regime of in-form Canberra mare One Aye , who is preparing to line up for her14th campaign run at Randwick.
The six-year-old kicked off her current preparation at Moruya in December and has raced at least once a month since, highlighted by her Murrumbidgee Cup win at Wagga in April.
It was that victory that sparked training partners Barbara Joseph ksephn, her sons Paul and Matt Jones to take a fresh approach – literally.
Prone to getting over-excited around other horses and tying up, One Eye had spent her preparation at their smaller and less populated Sapphire Coast base.
However, following a luckless run in the Wellington Cup in April, the team decided to send her around on a seven-day back-up and figuring she wouldn’t need to step out on the track between runs, she stayed at their main Canberra stable.
“With the treadmill we have there and the swimming pool, we were able to keep her up to the mark,” Paul Jones said.
“Ever since then she has stayed in Canberra and all we’ve done with her is barrier trial her or jump her out, they’re the only times she has had saddles on her back.
“All the other times, she uses the treadmill or she swims.
“That’s how we have managed to keep her going, putting her on the treadmill, swimming her and giving her barrier trials.”
Since adopting the new routine and environment, One Aye has raced six times for a win and three seconds, including a close miss behind Bright Red in a similar class race to what she meets in the James Squire Handicap (1800m) on Saturday.
Jones has followed the same weekly pattern of jump-out, treadmill, swim, repeat and he is hoping it results in an overdue city win.
As to whether there is any thought of pulling up stumps on One Aye’s campaign, connections are waiting for a sign that she has had enough but they haven’t seen one yet.
“She looks so good and her coat is so good for a horse that’s kept in Canberra, she’s not even clipped,” Jones said.
“She is licking the bin out and she is the matriarch of the stable. She has got the best box, she overlooks the track and it keeps her happy.
“We have been waiting for a bad run to say, ‘that’s it’, but she hasn’t done it yet.”
More Racing News
Patience pays off with A Little Deep in Chautauqua Stakes
Patience is a rare commodity in racing, but the Ciaron Maher stable and the owners of A Little Deep have been rewarded with a Stakes win at Moonee Valley. A Little Deep took out the Listed Chautauqua Stakes (1200m) on Saturday in a patient ride by Jamie Kah who timed her run to perfection. Settling...
Japanese galloper confirmed for the 2024 Cox Plate
Japanese galloper Prognosis has been confirmed for the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley with Damian Lane expected to take the ride. A three-time Group 2 winner in Japan, Prognosis was keenly sought after by the Moonee Valley Racing Club to come to Melbourne and run in the Group 1 showpiece over 2040m on...
Evaporate headed to Stakes level
Having completed a winning hat-trick in taking out the Ladbrokes Own Spring Handicap (1600m), the Lindsay Park team is looking to raise the bar with Evaporate. Success in a maiden at Cranbourne was followed by a win at Moonee Valley on August 24, but Evaporate went to another level with his...
Angel stamps his class in McKenzie Stakes win
Trainer Clinton Mcdonald fears Angel Capital may be too brilliant to run a strong 1600m after his return victory at Moonee Valley. Angel Capital resumed to take out the Listed McKenzie Stakes (1200m) on Saturday with McDonald hopefully plotting a course towards the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on October 12. The slowest into...
Gavin Bedggood savours Group 1 Glory
Trainer Gavin Bedggood and the connections of Mornington Glory were banking on the fittest horse supplying them with a Group 1 win at Moonee Valley. Sustained speed over the 1000m journey of the Moir Stakes on Saturday saw Bedggood land his first Group 1 win and gift the owners of the sprinter a...
Pericles dominant in So You Think Stakes
Godolphin galloper Pericles registered his first win in 12 months with a dominant display in the So You Think Stakes (1500m). The James Cummings-trained five-year-old had not been successful since winning the Group 2 Tramway Stakes (1400m) on the corresponding weekend last year. However, Pericles had collected placings in the Silver Eagle, the...
Ciaron Maher mare to the fore in a cracking Concorde Stakes
Under-rated sprinter I Am Me has claimed several high-profile scalps to score a brilliant first-up win in the Concorde Stakes at Randwick, putting herself in the frame for an Everest slot. The Ciaron Maher-trained mare, who started at $4.80 with betting apps in Australia, denied evergreen stablemate Bella Nipotina ($4.40) by a...
Freedman brothers quinella the Furious Stakes
After having to settle for a minor role behind big brother Anthony and his filly Ameena in the first leg of the Princess Series, Michael Freedman has been delighted to see Manaal turn the tables in the Furious Stakes at Randwick. The Group 1 winner resumed with a narrow third in the Silver Shadow...
Silmarillion runs up to form in Atlantic Jewel Stakes
There is never good thing in racing, but if ever there was one, it was Godolphin filly Silmarillion in the Listed Atlantic Jewel Stakes (1200m). At her last start, The James Cummings-trained Silmarillion split Ameena and Manaal in the Group 2 Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on August 24. Ameena and Manaal met again...
Godolphin opt for easier Moonee Valley option
Missing a run in a Group 1 contest may provide Godolphin galloper Pericles a long overdue return to the winner’s enclosure at Moonee Valley. Pericles is down to contest the So You Think Stakes (1500m) on Saturday, a new race at The Valley to compensate for the Group 2 Feehan Stakes (1600m)...