3 minute read

We’ve found to follow from Murray Bridge Gold Cup Day on Saturday.

Race 5: Pure Aqua

Although only a BM64 for the three-year-olds this race was sprinkled with talent. Headlined by the two R & C Jolly runners in Karavas and Pure Aqua, it's the latter we are keen to follow up on.

Taking out the Listed Without Fear Stakes in her debut prep, the Headwater filly closed her first campaign with a fifth-place finish in the Group 2 Breeders' Stakes behind boom colt Growing Empire.

Dropping back to benchmark company, the filly lugged a hefty 61kgs in her return. Her opportunity to have any major say in the finish become a whole great deal harder when taken straight back from the outside barrier.

Left with a stack of ground (5.8L) to make up when approaching the home turn, Pure Aqua let down impressively in the lane under gun hoop Jake Toeroek, rattling off the meeting's fastest last 600m (32.71) to fill the frame.

Her first-up rating on the Racing and Sports scale suggests the filly has returned in career best order and under more suitable conditions next start, she will prove awfully tough to deny.

Looking ahead on the calendar the sprinting options for the three-year-old are slim. I presume (hope) the R & C Jolly camp will have an eye over the border and might just target their filly at the Schweppervescence Plate at Flemington on Cup Day. The Travis Doudle-trained Wiggum took this out last year, after winning a similar benchmark race on Murray Bridge Gold Cup Day. Suggest they will follow a similar set-up.