John Sargent doesn’t think Kirramosa is quite in the same league as So You Think, but that hasn’t stopped him drawing similarities between the pair. The Randwick trainer is hoping last year’s Crown Oaks winner can show the benefit of a lengthy spell, as Bart Cummings’ former champion did between Cox Plate victories, when she returns to the track in a couple of months’ time.
Kirramosa has not raced since becoming the 36th filly to complete the Wakeful Stakes-VRC Crown Oaks in early November last year, having been found to be suffering a bone chip in a fetlock just before Christmas.
So You Think also missed the second half of his three-year-old season through injury and Sargent said he is drawing on as many positives as he can as he plots a Caulfield and Melbourne Cup campaign with the daughter of Alamosa.
“This happened to So You Think, he missed the autumn of his three-year-old and went down to Melbourne and did everything at the next carnival,” Sargent said.
“Hopefully she can (too). Dreams are free and you’ve got to live for them otherwise life’s hard...especially when you’re a horse trainer.”
Kirramosa was found to be suffering from her fetlock problem, which required surgery, just days after returning to Sargent’s stable following her post-spring spell.
After a thorough rehabilitation program she has been back at Sargent’s Randwick stable for more than a month.
“She would have had three-to-four months in the paddock, you can only leave them so long, and she’s a lot stronger now,” he said.
“We’re just building her up slowly. She’s doing some swimming and pacework, a bit of everything really.”
Sargent will keep Kirramosa, who has only had eight starts, in Sydney for the early stages of her campaign before heading south when she gets to a suitable distance range.
“I’ll probably maybe get her up to a trial here and then give her 10 days in the paddock and just potter around until the real action starts for the spring,” he said from Sydney.
“She’ll probably have a run or two here first and then aim down for the Cups. It’ll probably be a 1200 and a 1400 and then we’ll go down there over ground.”
Given demonstrated appreciation for Flemington, Sargent said he would be keen to race Kirramosa there wherever possible, meaning the $400,000 Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) on Saturday 13 September shaped as an ideal first run south.
The only other meeting at Flemington ahead of Melbourne Cup Week is on Saturday 4 October, when the $500,000 Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) is the feature event.
The Turnbull is run two weeks before the $3 million Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) with the $6 million Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) on 4 November.