Talented mare Bird Of Fire will go into the Group Three Eclipse Stakes at Sandown as the form horse after trainer Tony Vasil decided to extend her spring campaign on the back of two stakes wins.Vasil said the four-year-old had trained on well since her narrow win in the Group Two Matriarch Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on November 8 which followed her dead-heat with Miss Badoura in the Group Three Inglis Mile at Moonee Valley.He said that with most spring horses heading to the spelling paddock it

Talented mare Bird Of Fire will go into the Group Three Eclipse Stakes at Sandown as the form horse after trainer Tony Vasil decided to extend her spring campaign on the back of two stakes wins.

Vasil said the four-year-old had trained on well since her narrow win in the Group Two Matriarch Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on November 8 which followed her dead-heat with Miss Badoura in the Group Three Inglis Mile at Moonee Valley.

He said that with most spring horses heading to the spelling paddock it was opportune to give Bird Of Fire another chance on Saturday to build on her stakes record with only nine of the 16 entries for the 2100m Eclipse declared final acceptors.

"We kept her ticking over for the Eclipse because sooner or later the spring horses had to disappear," Vasil said.

"She is going very well and she's the same weight as she was three days prior to her last run at Flemington.

"Really the way she is racing you have got to run her and the Eclipse is a nice race for a mare to have on her CV."

Bird Of Fire has rarely been out of the money in her 19 starts with four wins and nine minor placings. Besides being a dual stakeswinner she has three times been stakes-placed.

Sydney-based jockey Blake Shinn rode Bird Of Fire at her last two starts but Dan Brereton takes the reins on Saturday.

Last start Bird Of Fire led all the way but Vasil's hope is that one of her rivals will have the pacemaker's role at Sandown.

"She probably races a bit more tractable if she can take a sit," Vasil said.

"Circumstances led to her leading from an outside barrier last time but it is very hard to lead all the way at Sandown."

Despite the small field TAB Sportsbet has framed an open market for the Eclipse with four horses under $5.

Bird Of Fire and Mission Critical are equal favourites at $4.20, last-start Sandown winner Instructor is at $4.60 and Kyneton Cup winner Who's Ya Daddy at $4.80. Eskimo Dan and Soul Diva are both at $9.

Vlad Duric rides $10 chance We Wonder after finishing fifth on him to Instructor last start.

"He wasn't beaten far and will take improvement out of that run," Duric said.

Sentire backs up from his half-length second to Daka's Gem in Wednesday's Ballarat Cup and is at $21 while Come Fly With Me is the $51 outsider.