Brunton mare primed to set Caulfield alight

TASMANIA’S premier thoroughbred trainer Scott Brunton is hoping for a change of luck at Caulfield today where his handy mare I Remember You will tackle a fillies’ and mares’ sprint race over 1100m.

The Brunton stable has been campaigning a few stable tenants in Victoria for the past couple of months and while the wins have been few and far between, all have been competitive and many have legitimate hard-luck stories.

I Remember You has had only four starts for the Brunton stable since arriving from Queensland in November last year for three wins and a luckless second in the Group 3 Vamos Stakes for fillies and mares in Launceston in February. The five-year-old mare slipped across Bass Strait after the Vamos for a narrow but strong win at Sandown.

Brunton sent the mare home to his Seven Mile Beach stables and with a solid trial in Devonport under her belt she should be fit enough for a bold first-up tilt at Caulfield today.

“I can’t fault the mare this time in and she has arrived in Melbourne in top order after a very comfortable trip on the boat on Thursday,” Brunton said. “This race at Caulfield looks very suitable and with 55.5kg on her back she should be very competitive.”

I Remember You won over 900m in Queensland but since joining the Brunton yard she has won over distances ranging from 1200 to 1400m. ANOTHER well-performed Tasmania galloper Tshahitsi also features at today’s Caulfield meeting in the last race on the nine-event card.

Tshahitsi will line up in the Catanach’s Jewellers handicap over 1400m and he will be ridden by 3kg claiming apprentice Teodore Nugent, which gets him into the race with only 57.5kg. Tshahitsi was off the scene for 15 months before making his return to racing at Flemington three weeks ago and he produced an encouraging fifth of 11 in a Listed event over 1200m beaten inside 2½ lengths.

His co-trainer Imogen Miller said the gelding had come through his first-up assignment in top order and expects him to strip a lot fitter today. MYSTIC JOURNEY continues to do well as she prepares for her first-up assignment that will now be the Group 2 P. B. Lawrence Stakes over 1400m at Caulfield on August 17.

The Adam Trinder-trained filly was to have begun her next campaign today in the Bletchingly Stakes but unsuitable track conditions prevented her from lining up in the Group 3 sprint.

The star filly’s stablemate Mystical Pursuit will resume racing next Saturday in a 1000m 3YO fillies’ event at Moonee Valley and the unbeaten two-year-old will go into that race having won two trials in Devonport this month.