It’s far from the conventional lead-up to the Redwood Classic, but Ian Caruana’s charge Daring Angel will head to Sunday’s time-honoured Group 1 in winning form.
The filly will be having her third start in 11 days when she steps out for the $50,000 event, the flagship event on the weekend’s all-trotting program.
Caruana admits he “forgot” to scratch Daring Angel from a race at Ballarat last Friday, which was just over 24 hours after she had competed – and run fifth – at Maryborough.
But his decision to take the horse to Bray Raceway proved a rewarding one, with the daughter of Skyvalley recording an impressive 5m success.
“That was a mistake,” Caruana laughed.
“I was in Sydney doing something on the day I should have scratched out of Ballarat. There were plane delays and cancellation of flights … in the middle of all of that, I forgot to scratch her.
“That wasn’t meant to happen because you don’t do that.”
Caruana said Daring Angel presented well after the run at Maryborough and he decided to take his chances.
“You can plan so much for so many, scratch your head about this and scratch your head about that, and then you can’t do it because you’ll get penalised. Then you just let it be,” the Mt Cottrell trainer said.
“I just went with the flow.”
Caruana gave his two-year-old squaregaiter an easy day after that Ballarat performance and is pleased with how the filly is tracking ahead of Sunday’s assignment.
“I’m looking forward to Sunday because she’s never worked better,” he said.
“I think if we get away and settle in the first half of the field as such, I think we are a really good chance to run a place. And then who knows what can happen after that?”
Daring Angel, who is bred by Caruana out of his mare My Spanish Angel, heads to the Volstead Redwood Classic (2190m) with a record of two wins and five minor placings from 13 career starts.
Ginger Gleeson is the horse’s regular driver and will be at the controls on Sunday.
Alison Alford-trained Dreamee won a major lead-up to the Redwood – The Maori Legend at Stawell – and looks one of the leading contenders at Maryborough this weekend.
Behind Dreamee was Matthew Craven’s Pink Galahs (second) and Peter Manning’s pair Dublin Chubb (third) and Lord Chancellor (fourth), which will all line up again.
Lisa Miles’ Vicbred Super Series (2YO Trotting Colts and Geldings) champion Powderkeg looks a main player, as do horses he defeated in that race Im Daddy Warbucks (Gavin Lang) and Andover Sun (Maree Caldow).
But the one they all have to beat is Phil Williamson-trained New Zealand raider Ultimate Stride, which beat Powderkeg in his only Australian start at Maryborough last week.
Sunday’s Redwood Classic will be run as race six at 2.54pm.
