You’d think Simon Miller might be a little disappointed that his filly Whispering Brook so narrowly failed to keep her unbeaten run going when she was nosed out by Merriest in the Atlantic Jewel Stakes at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
But the Perth trainer could hardly wipe the smile off his face. Whispering Brook went into the race unbeaten in five starts in WA, but in the minutes leading up to yesterday’s crucial listed race, Miller was hardly thinking of her unbeaten sequence as the filly started to sweat and play-up.
He knew he had her a little fresh but admitted to being concerned that she would not perform near her best and so would leave the track still wondering whether she is good enough to aim her at the group 1 Thousand Guineas in October.
“She was a little above herself alright as I was saddling her up,” Miller said after the race. “She was sweating and was a little fresh but that’s alright as her grand final’s not for a while yet.
“She was always going to be vulnerable first-up from a wide gate, and especially the way she was before the race but the most pleasing thing is that we don’t have to worry about whether she measure up to the fillies over here. She clearly does and she’s clearly going to get a lot better with that run under her belt.”
Whispering Brook progresses next to the Thousand Guineas Prelude at Caulfield on September 24, where she will have a return clash with a number of her rivals on Saturday.
The Danny O’Brien-trained Merriest raced herself into contention for the Thousand Guineas when she was able to take up a forward position for jockey Damien Oliver and then sprint clear on straightening. Merriest, by Denman, was a $210,000 yearling purchase and has now won two of her four starts.