Zahra’s on course with Catchy choice
MARK Zahra faced a difficult choice going into the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas tomorrow before deciding to pin his hopes on star filly Catchy.
As it’s turned out, the inform jockey could have been left sitting in the jockeys room when the $2 million race was run had he gone another way.
Zahra could have easily stuck with Summer Passage, the New Zealand colt who has since been scratched after drawing the widest barrier in the 1600m race.
Zahra rides the Blue Diamond Stakes winner Catchy in a race for the first time in the Guineas when the filly takes on the colts and geldings.
Surround is the last filly to win the Caulfield Guineas 41 years ago.
Zahra has been riding Summer Passage this spring, and while he felt he had been going really well he decided to jump off and accept the ride on Catchy.
“I had a few options in the race and it actually became pretty tough,” Zahra said. “But I reckon Catchy is all class.
“The mile is going to be her biggest test but I reckon she’s got a lot of class about her and she’s obviously won a Group 1 so I decided to go with her.”
Summer Passage was scratched yesterday because of his outside draw and will instead run in the Blue Sapphire Stakes on Wednesday.
Zahra rode Catchy in an eye-catching trackwork gallop early this week.
“She’s built like a colt anyway. She’s huge,” Zahra said.
“Her gallop was really good. She worked with another horse, sat off it and picked it up. I couldn’t fault her work.”
Connections opted to run Catchy in the richer Caulfield Guineas over the $500,000 Thousand Guineas for fillies tomorrow.
Catchy was a close third in the Thousand Guineas Prelude last start but ran fast sectional times.
Catchy has won the Blue Diamond Stakes and Group 2 Danehill Stakes against colts and geldings which was one factor for Zahra being happy to be aboard in the Guineas.
“And just the fact that I don’t reckon it’s overly strong,” he said. “Sometimes you can get a Guineas and there will be two or three standout colts and it would be very hard for a filly.
“But this year I reckon they’re fairly even … so it might be a year for a really good filly like her to have a crack.”
Catchy is rated a $4.80 chance with UBET, while star colt Royal Symphony is favourite at $4.