Michelle Mallia heads into Saturday night’s heats of the Group 3 Top Cat Video Cup (730m) at The Meadows with great expectations, rating her number one contender Aston Velvet as Australia’s best stayer.
Mallia has two excellent chances in the two Cup heats, with Fernando’s Quest (Box 1) $3.70 second elect in the opening runoff, while Aston Velvet (Box 7) is $2.50 favourite in the second qualifier.
Aston Velvet is $4.40 in ‘All In’ betting, behind Moraine Suzie at $4, which ran third as Victoria’s representative in the G1 National Distance Championship in Sydney last weekend, with Fernando’s Quest a $14 chance.
“Aston Velvet is flying. I’d rate her as one of Australia’s best stayers.”
“They’re both going super,” Mallia glowed.
“I think they should both lead and I’m confident they’ll both run top four and make it through to the final.
“I would have had three in the heats, but unfortunately, I’ve lost Golden Quest for a little while after she cut her foot at Sandown last week when she was just about to go bang and win.”
Mallia is especially bullish about the well-credentialled Aston Velvet, which ran third in the G1 Sandown Cup final before winning the Listed Pink Diamond Champion Distance final.
The daughter of dual country cup winner Aston Kimetto will be striving to complete a Meadows hat-trick after Best Of Night victories at her past two starts, clocking 42.92sec and 42.62sec.
WATCH: ASTON VELVET (7) completed back-to-back Meadows 730m victories last Saturday when holding PLAY NICE (1) at bay in a Best Of Night 42.62sec, a new PB.
“Aston Velvet is flying. I’d rate her as one of Australia’s best stayers,” Mallia said.
“She missed the National Distance series because she had a broken fibula, and I didn’t have time to get her ready.
“After she ran 42.62sec at The Meadows last Saturday I rang (owner/breeder) Ray Borda and said she’s got to be the best stayer going around at the moment. I don’t think there’s anything in Victoria that’s going much better than her.
“She begins really well, so I don’t think Box 7 matters. She floated across out of that box last week and if she does the same thing again on Saturday night, she’ll be very hard to beat.”
While Mallia respects Victoria’s National Distance representative Moraine Suzie in heat one, she expects Fernando’s Quest, a finalist in the G1 Super Stayers at The Meadows in February, to give a great sight from the rails alley.
“Fernando’s Quest drawing ‘the red’ is just phenomenal for him,” Mallia said.
“He isn’t as strong as Aston Velvet, but in saying that he’s getting stronger and stronger with each run.
“He’s not as powerful as his sister, Golden Quest, but he has explosive sectionals.
“His sectionals at Sale in his last win were ridiculous. He’d never seen the track and they were telling me his run was Sale Cup material!
“He doesn’t like a lot of pressure but if they leave him alone early, I reckon he could open up a big lead. The last 15 or 30 metres might be an issue for him.”
It would be especially fitting if Mallia’s dynamic distance duo live up to her lofty expectations on Saturday, with Sunday being Father’s Day.
Michelle inherited a great affinity for stayers from her late father Charlie Mallia, who sadly passed away in March.
“I’m really excited. We’ve always loved having stayers,” Michelle said.
“Dad had some very good stayers; Pace Galore was the best, she won (Victorian) Greyhound of the Year and was just a sensational bitch.”
Mallia is also upbeat about the prospects of lightly raced youngster Quest For Extra, a half-brother to Fernando’s Quest, in race 2 at The Meadows, after a slick 29.66sec effort at Sandown Park last Sunday.
“He’s a very fast animal,” Mallia offered.
“I trained his grandmother (Punk Star Lass) and bred his mother (Quest For Glory) with Bradley DeBono. Brad and I have been in partnership for the last 10-12 years and it’s been going really well.”
