She may have earned her stripes on the heavy tracks of winter but Hamilton trainer David Greene believes Flaunting possesses the good track ability to be competitive in November’s Gr.1 gavelhouse.com New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton.
A winner of two of her six starts, the Showcasing filly won the Listed Castletown Stakes (1200m) at Wanganui in June before second placings at Te Rapa and in the Listed Ryder Stakes (1200m) at Otaki, all on heavy tracks this winter.
She had finished second to subsequent Group One winner Yourdeel on a dead track on debut last December before winning a Matamata maiden, also on dead footing, at her next start.
Flaunting will shoot for a second stakes win in Saturday’s Listed The O’Learys Fillies Stakes (1200m) at Wanganui, a track rated as a heavy 10 on Thursday.
“Ideally, I’m keen to see her getting into a good fillies feature this spring, like the 1000 Guineas,” Greene said.
“We think she’s just as good on top of the ground but being hard-fit and proven on the type of surface she’ll face on Saturday, we think she’s ready to make her presence felt.
“Her last couple of gallops have been very, very good. She had a week off after the Ryder and she freshened up well. She seems to keep heading in the right direction and keeps getting stronger.”
TAB bookmakers installed Flaunting as a $3.50 favourite for the three-year-old fillies feature ahead of She’s A Lady at $4 and Trifolium at $4.40.
“She’s drawn five of eight and we’re happy where she’s at. There looks like good speed in there but we should be able to possie up midfield and get a good run from there,” Greene said.
“It will take something right at the top of their game to roll her this week, I’d say.”
Greene said Flaunting had the right sort of make-up to become a topline filly.
“She’s got a fantastic temperament and she’s proven herself on talent. Apart from a failure in the Karaka Million (1200m), which you can forgive her for, she hasn’t finished outside the top two.
“She eats well and impresses us with everything she does. We’d like to use the Soliloquy Stakes (Listed, 1400m) as her final race before the 1000 Guineas. We’ll see how Saturday goes to see if we need to find another race or trial for her in between.”
