When Saturday’s Queensland Oaks comes around at Eagle Farm, it will only be seven days since Barb Raider’s last start.
But that is exactly how Jerome Hunter’s three-year-old likes it heading into the $700,000 staying race over 2200m.
Hunter has been delighted at how his filly pulled up from her close but classy victory in The Roses (2100m) at the same venue last Saturday.
“She came through last Saturday’s run really well,” Hunter told HorseBetting.com.au.
“She always does. It’s quite remarkable how she always pulls up.
“So we’re looking forward to the race. It’s not the best preparation, but we couldn’t help it with the wet weather.
“I think she’s worked really well all this week. There’s not much more you can do with a week between runs.”
Craig Williams judged her run home to perfection last weekend, with Belle Savoir and Smirk either side of her.
They finished a respective second and third for Nick Ryan and Chris Waller, star veteran jockey Williams to ride her again in the Queensland Oaks.
The Roses (2100m) | Eagle Farm | May 28, 2022 | Barb Raider (1st)
“They all had their chances to catch her, but she just kept on kicking,” Hunter said of her last-start victory.
“She gets her ears back and she’s always in for a fight. She’s a real tiger.”
An 11th place in the Queen of the Turf Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on April 9 hardly dented Barb Raider’s confidence.
Hunter opted for the big step up in class because he ran out of mile races for her in Victoria during that period, and he wanted to keep her running before the Australasian Oaks at Morphettville on April 30.
She finished a gallant second in that $502,250 feature over 2000m.
“I took her to Sydney and she pulled up really well after that,” Hunter said.
“So we decided to take her to Adelaide, and she came through it that well so we took her home.
“We put her in the paddock and she was just running around, she was that fresh.
“So I thought ‘she might as well have a trip up to Queensland’.
“We got up there a couple of weeks earlier just to make sure she acclimatised, and she absolutely thrived leading into The Roses.”
The plan has worked a treat so far for Hunter, who was delighted with the way Barb Raider won The Roses.
“I didn’t want her peaking too early – that was why we kept her at a mile,” he said.
“We gave her three runs at a mile. We didn’t want her to have hard runs over 2000m-plus on heavy tracks.
“That was because I had the Oaks in mind, and I just didn’t want her peaking too early.
“What she’s done, she hasn’t been overly taxed, especially with some of her races she’s had three weeks between runs.”
Despite not pushing her too hard, Hunter will be happy to reward his star young stayer with a spell after Saturday.
“I want a horse who’s going to be four and five years old, and running in elite company,” he said.
“And I think if we look after her she’ll go out for a spell up here in Queensland after this Saturday.
“She’ll get some warmer weather onto her and I really think she’ll come back bigger and better.”
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