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Trainer John Sargent will go searching for a suitable black type race if Mayrose can confirm that she’s at her best in Saturday’s Midway Handicap (1400m) at Rosehill.
After a forgettable spring, which yielded just one placing in six starts, and two below par runs to start 2023 the mare charged back into form with a Midway win at Randwick and a gallant third in testing ground at Rosehill in April.
The Randwick trainer has been encouraged by the form around those two races and expects Mayrose to further confirm it.
"We gave her a good break but she's got her confidence back now and I think she's back in form,'' John Sargent said.
"She had that good win at Randwick and last start I think she got bogged down on the track at 1500m first time. Back to a better track it should be a nice race for her."
Sargent suspects the extra distance, in heavy ground, just found her out and believes he's found the right race for her at the same trip she was able to safely hold Anythink Goes, a subsequent winner, at Randwick.
Mayrose, $5.50 with TAB on Thursday, hit the front about 150m from home at her first try at 1500m three weeks ago but was run down late by Wrathful and Miracle Spin, the latter turning the tables at Scone last weekend.
"That was a very strong race for a Midway, I don't think it's as strong on Saturday,'' he said.
"We'll probably come back a shade so she can hit the line strong. We won't be in a rush early, hopefully we can get at them late. She has a big finish.
"We'll try to find a weak black type race for her but she's going the right way."
Pink Ivory faces a wide barrier in the Listed $160,000 Lord Mayors Cup (2000m) and Sargent is resigned to taking the medicine and riding the mare for luck.
She was last out of the gates in the Wagga Cup, which put paid to her chances, and she made some ground to finish midfield behind Wicklow.
"She's won from the back before, she'll relax early and hopefully there's a strong pace to have her chance,'' he said.
"She missed the jump at Wagga and got a bit too far back. We've added brow band and that might make her jump a bit better."
The four-year-old, a daughter of top class mare Lotteria, was narrowly beaten in the Group 3 Aspiration Quality at the start of this campaign.
Sargent is prepared to forgive Essential Sky for her failure in the Warrnambool Cup while rates stablemate Outlandos an each-way chance in the Vale Ian Finn Handicap (2400m).
"I thought (Essential Sky) liked it wet but that was terrible so she's a chance and Outlandos was a bit unlucky at Gosford, it was a good run there,'' he said.
