Words by Chris Roots, Sydney Morning Herald
John Sargent is so confident Pink Ivory can be a player in Saturday’s Vinery Stud Stakes he tried to book James McDonald for the Australian Oaks-bound filly, but is more than happy to go to battle with another Kiwi hoop in the saddle.
Rory Hutchings will stick with the Gerry Harvey owned and bred Pink Ivory after building an association at her past two races at Newcastle, which in Sargent’s mind were the conditioning runs she needed.
“She is bred to just get better and better over a trip by Gerry Harvey, being a Redwood filly out of champion mare Lotteria,” Sargent said. “She was very good in those Newcastle races, but I know she is an Oaks filly, so she’s only starting to get her trip in the Vinery.
“I don’t often try to get James [McDonald] but she was worth it. Unfortunately, he is booked for one of Chris Waller’s.
“Rory has been on her in both her runs and knows her so well. He is a really good rider who doesn’t get the chances he deserves, so we’re sticking with him as he is a very strong rider and that’s always an advantage with these fillies.”
A master trainer of staying fillies, Sargent has won the Australian, Queensland and Victoria Oaks and will look to add to another group 1 to his tally with Pink Ivory and Gin Martini on Saturday. He won his last group 1 when Gust Of Wind became the last horse to beat Winx in the 2015 Australian Oaks.
Pink Ivory has won two of her four starts and also was a second on wet ground over a mile at Newcastle before putting a gap in her rivals over 1850m on a heavy track.
It’s a great opportunity for Hutchings, a heavyweight rider who hasn’t ridden in Australian group 1 since 2018, but he feels he gets a good chance to make his mark on Saturday.
“She is the right filly to get a chance like this on. I know she will run a strong 2000m. She feels like a real stayer,” Hutchings said.
“Her last win at Newcastle was on a very heavy track and further she went, the stronger she got on it. It was pretty hard work for them that day and I can’t see a Rosehill track being as testing as that track.
“She has got a good turn of foot, even in the wet, and she could be one of these fillies that will still have that over the longer trips.”
Original Source: https://www.smh.com.au/sport/racing/she-is-an-oaks-filly-hutchings-given-group-1-chance-on-pink-ivory-20220322-p5a6ps.html
