Maher ponders Coolangatta’s ‘plain’ showing
Coolangatta’s trainer Ciaron Maher says the camp has some thinking to do after the Royal Ascot-bound mare’s jumpout at Flemington on Monday.
Coolangatta finished third in a five-horse heat down the Flemington straight, which also featured fellow Royal Ascot contenders Cannonball and Artorius.
Maher described the 900m hitout as “plain”.
Maher, who trains Coolangatta in partnership with David Eustace, said he would look at information such as the sprinter’s heart rate and other physical data before deciding his next move. He said he would also speak to Flemington track manager Liam O’Keeffe to find out the precise condition of the outside section of the course where the jumpout was held.
Maher said Coolangatta would leave for England on the night of June 7, with a gallop planned on the Ascot course proper in the days before her overseas debut in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes, for which the threeyear-old is $3.50 favourite in TAB fixed odds markets.
Connections of Cannonball were delighted with the speedster’s jump out and it’s full steam ahead for Royal Ascot according to managing part-owner James Harron.
“(Trainers) Peter and Paul (Snowden) have been very happy with Cannonball,’’ Harron said. “His coat is glowing and he’s in a really good frame of mind.
“We have seen that in his trials in Sydney and also at Flemington on a rainaffected track which isn’t to his liking.
“You can see in the horse physically how much he has developed. He’s a stronger, more mature version of himself and it is nice to see that translating to his work.’’
Peter Snowden was glowing in his praise of the colt.
“You would be hard to please if you weren’t happy with that trial,” he said.
“It is good to see him continue with the form he has been showing us this year.
“He is still a young horse, he’s a three-year-old colt but he definitely has a lot of potential. I feel he is almost there now.”