SASSY GIRL OUT TO TURN HEADS
Toowoomba filly in Pat O’Shea bid
RACING: She is the filly they all ignored.
But tonight at Clifford Park, Sassy Enuff gets her chance to ensure people take more notice when she looks to add her name to the Toowoomba racing honour board.
Sassy Enuff will be out to start her racing career on a memorable note when she chases victory in the 2019 Toowoomba Truck Spares Pat O’Shea Plate (1000m).
The annual feature race traditionally begins Queensland’s two-year-old racing season on a celebrated night of racing honouring the late Pat O’Shea for his huge contribution to the Toowoomba racing industry.
Sassy Enuff lines up for trainer Michael Nolan who is hunting his second success in the Pat O’Shea Plate after winning the inaugural event with Greyt Start in 2015.
Nolan knows plenty about the background of Sassy Enuff who is the daughter of his former quality race mare and two-time Listed Weetwood Handicap victor Miss Imagica.
She is also the grand-daughter of another Nolan stable star, Imagica.
Sassy Enuff (by Rich Enuff) showed she had inherited some of those successful family racing genes with an impressive Clifford Park 870-metre barrier trial win two weeks ago to claim early second favouritism behind Dark Son for tonight’s race.
But Nolan explained Sassy Enuff finished in his stable only after sale buyers had turned their noses up at her.
“Miss Imagica was boarding at Glenlogan which had Rich Enuff standing as a sire and that’s how this filly came to be,” Nolan said.
“We catalogued her at the February Inglis sale in Sydney, pretty hopeful of getting a good price for her.
“She didn’t get a bid. “We were having a few drinks in Sydney later that night and we decided then to keep her and race her ourselves.
“There is a good crew of owners in her and we’ll all be at the Pat O’Shea function on Saturday night.
“It would be nice if she could kick things off a with a win.
“It means a lot to me having the chance to win a race named in memory of Pat.
“This is not a normal race for Toowoomba people. We all want to win it.”
Sassy Enuff scored a twolength trial win for jockey Emma Ljung over one of tonight’s race rivals Funky Beat at her only public appearance.
Funky Beat is also looking to deliver her trainer Jackie Crompton another Clifford Park two-year-old feature win.
Crompton was successful in
‘‘ WE WERE HAVING A FEW DRINKS IN SYDNEY LATER THAT NIGHT AND WE DECIDED THEN TO KEEP HER.
MICHAEL NOLAN
the 2010 Fitton Plate with Double Impact.
Nolan said his filly had impressed with a professional attitude during her Pat O’Shea build-up.
“It’s hard to weigh everything for all runners going firstup into a pressure race but I think our filly has improved since her trial,” Nolan said.
Ljung also partnered tonight’s Plate favourite Dark Son in an impressive trial win and has stuck with the Better Than Ready gelding as her feature ride with Josh Oliver to partner Sassy Enuff.