Mike Moroney and Glen Thompson have been patient with promising Proisir mare Coeur Volante, who is set to kick off her latest campaign in the Group 3 Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes (1200m) at Sandown on Saturday.
The four-year-old has not raced since finishing sixth in the Group 2 Dane Ripper Stakes (1300m) at Eagle Farm in June.
Thompson explained that after dealing with some minor issues, the mare had an extended break in Queensland.
“She is in good order, jumping out well at Flemington and Werribee,” Thompson said.
“We took her to Brisbane, but she didn’t do well in the spring, so we wanted to give her a good break. She was up there for around a dozen weeks.
“She looks good, she’s not big but she’s held onto her condition and hopefully that time pays off.”
Coeur Volante showed early promise, including a strong first-up win in the Group 3 Champagne Stakes (1200m) at The Valley in September 2023 and a victory in the Group 2 Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) a month later at Caulfield, before her fourth-place finish in the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m).
Saturday’s run will give her trainers a clearer idea of where she will head this campaign, but the hope is that she can line up for the Group 1 mares’ races in Sydney.
“I think the Coolmore (Classic) has been spoken about but it’s one race at a time,” Thompson said.
“She needs to be winning something first before we go to a race like that.”
Horse racing news