Clarry Conners has revealed that reigning Crown Oaks champion Dear Demi will race exclusively in Melbourne this Spring Racing Carnival with the rising four-year-old’s main targets the BMW Caulfield and the Emirates Melbourne Cups.
Likely to resume in the $220,000 Group 2 Let’s Elope Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on September 7, Conners said the daughter of Dehere would follow a similar path to the 2003 Spring preparation of his former staying mare Zagalia, who went on to finish fifth behind Makybe Diva in the Melbourne Cup.
“She has been back in work for a bit over a fortnight and she looks in good order,” Conners said.
“I’m very happy with how she’s done during her break.
“While nothing is in concrete at this stage, the plan with her at this stage is to head towards the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.”
Aside from her dominant victory in the Crown Oaks last November, Dear Demi has since finished runner-up in the ATC Oaks (2400m) in Sydney as well as recording wins in the Surround Stakes (1400m) in Sydney and the Doomben Roses (2000m) in Brisbane.
In disappointing news, Conners said rising three-year-old Assail had suffered a setback and wouldn’t be travelling to Melbourne for the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) on November 9.
With another of Conners’ stable stalwarts Satin Shoes retired to stud after being galloped on in the Lightning Stakes (1000m) in Brisbane in June, the astute trainer said he will have to find another couple of horses to accompany Dear Demi to Melbourne for the Spring Racing Carnival.
“I’ll definitely be sending horses down there; I wouldn’t mind targeting the Blue Diamond with one or two horses this year,” he said.
“To do that I’ll have to bring a couple of horses down to for the early for the two-year-old races so that when they come back for the next preparation they’re experienced racing in the opposite direction.”
Click here to watch Dear Demi’s victory in the Crown Oaks
Click here to view Dear Demi’s career form profile