Scone trainer Paul Messara has had his eye on the group 3 Winx Guineas (1600m) on the Sunshine Coast on Saturday for a while.
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But for most of that time it was with filly Genzano in mind.
While the granddaughter of his champion sprinter, Ortensia, has been spelled after pulling up poorly from the Queensland Day Stakes on June 8 at Eagle Farm, the Arrowfield trainer will still have the favourite in the $300,000 Winx Guineas with Know Thyself.
The Autumn Sun gelding was a $2.30 top elect with TAB on Friday after three wins from four starts to begin his career. Messara and co-trainer Leah Gavranich sent Know Thyself to the Sunshine Coast after he cruised to a five-length victory in a class 3 Highway Handicap over 1400m in heavy going at Rosehill on June 15.
Sunshine Coast was rated a Heavy 9 on Friday with more rain expected.
Messara believed the conditions would suit Know Thyself but he was wary of the sharp rise in class. His other wins have been in country maiden and class 1 grade.
"It's a really big step up and he's going to have to improve three or four lengths on his previous run to be in the finish tomorrow," Messara said.
"I think the wet track is probably a bonus for us, because some of the other fancied runners probably don't have that super heavy form. But personally, I think he's a much shorter quote than I would have anticipated."
Newcastle jockey Aaron Bullock was to ride Know Thyself at 57 kilograms on Saturday but he instead has the one booking at Randwick with Promitto (60kg) in the 10th.
"Unfortunately Aaron was sick at the start of the week and he's a heavyweight rider so he's got to do a lot of work to shed the kilos and he said I'm not going to be able to do the miles to lose the weight," Messara said.
"But Rachel King is a great rider and has ridden a group 1 winner before for Arrowfield, Maid Of Heaven, her first one, so hopefully we can have a bit more luck with her on Saturday."
At Randwick, Messara also has a well-fancied runner in Clear Thinking.
The four-year-old, bred by the late Queen Elizabeth II, was bought by Arrowfield as a broodmare prospect but has impressed on the track, winning maiden and class 1 races with ease at Scone to start her career.
She was a $1.85 favourite to make a winning rise to class 3 Highway Handicap company on Saturday.
"She jumps into a much tougher race as well," Messara said. "There's a couple of handy horses there, Tanglewood and a few others, who have really solid claims in that race.
"Again, for me, she's well and truly under the odds. She's won two restricted country races, and this is of course a country restricted race, but it's a much higher class race.
"We've got a wet track and she's won on a six and a seven, but not worse than that and Randwick can be bottomless at times, so a lot will depend on how she handles it. If she does and gets a clear run, she should be in the finish, but she's still got to step up and improve a couple of lengths on her last start I think to be really competitive.
"She will go for a little break after it, and if she runs well and wins on Saturday I think we will probably be eyeballing the Kosciusko."
MORONEY SAVOUR GROUP 1 SURPRISE
Cessnock trainer Blake Moroney was happy to let mates Justin Wearing and Joel Hafey into the ownership of Blazing Raso after buying her for a "pretty modest price" as a puppy.
Moroney thought the daughter of Shima Shine and Spritley Ebony would at least give the first-time greyhound owners "something just to play around with".
Little did he know that Blazing Raso would rise to the Peter Mosman Opal final (520m) on Saturday night at Wentworth Park, giving him a first group 1 runner and his friends the thrill of a lifetime.
"I was going to buy her outright but they expressed an interest," Moroney said.
"We bought her straight after breaking in for a pretty modest price and we thought we'd get something just to play around with and she's just kept improving and here we are.
"They are over the moon. The first time she won in town, I told them 'you're blessed', and now they are even more blessed."
Blazing Raso, named after Matildas speedster Hayley Raso, was a $9 TAB chance for the bitches-only, age-restricted $75,000-to-the-winner decider after a strong heat run and draw in box two. Blazing Raso started brilliantly from box four to lead last week before finding interference. She still powered home to finish 1.5 lengths second to Out Of Style, which is trained by Elrington trainer Chris Kedwell. Out Of Style has box one and was at $8.5.
Moroney hoped for a similar start from Blazing Raso, which has nine wins and seven placings in 27 races.
"The draw helps because I never had any luck with Jabeni," he said of his former star.
"He used to draw eight, seven, five and four - definitely the inside helps and I think she just needs to find the fence early.
"The key is if she can cross the one, or slip in behind it. We just don't want to be outside it at the turn. She will go a little bit left.
"She doesn't always nail the start, but she did when she needed to, so hopefully she can nail it again.
"It went good in the heat. The five tried to go up underneath her through the first turn, then she held her spot but when the six went around her on the home turn, the five got on her heels twice.
"That's when the winner raced four in front, and she came again. She wouldn't have won, but it would have been a close finish.
"She had been racing over 600m every week, so it was an afterthought to throw her into it.
"She'd been up against it, running 600s, so I knew she would run out the 520 easy.
"I looked at it and went, well, she gets in by a month and a half and will probably be one of the most experienced in it, and she'd run 29.8 at Wenty when she was even younger.
"She hadn't been back there for a few months, but I thought when you're old enough and think you're good enough, why not go in it.
"We all love our sport and we follow the Matildas as well.
"My partner and daughter follow them as well so we went with that. Hopefully she can follow after her namesake."
North Rothbury trainer Pat Parrelli has Tarzan Teddy ($51) in the male final, the Vic Peters Classic.