Stephen Marsh believes all the key indicators point to his well-bred three-year-old Love Poem giving her Australian rivals a serious run for their money at Randwick on Saturday.
The Cambridge trainer will be trackside for Love Poem’s Australian debut in the Group 3 PJ Bell Stakes (1200m) and can only see positives ahead of the opening leg of her two-start offshore campaign.
“She’s great, she travelled over on Tuesday and hasn’t turned a hair,” he said.
“She’s drawn well, the track should be beautiful, set weights and penalties suits her so we couldn’t be happier. I think she’s right in it.”
Love Poem has fashioned the excellent domestic record of two wins and five stakes placings, including a runner-up finish in the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) behind top colt Savaglee.
The only time she has finished out of the top three was a week later at Riccarton when fourth in the fillies’ classic.
She then went for a break and booked her passage across the Tasman when successfully resuming at Tauranga over 1200m earlier this month.
Should Love Poem run up to expectations in the hands of Jason Collett, she will make one more appearance before returning to New Zealand.
“There’s another race over 1400m (Group 3, James HB Carr Stakes) in two weeks’ time at Randwick and then she’ll definitely come home and have a nice spell and get ready for the spring,” Marsh said.
Raced by Wellingtonian Lib Petagna, the Snitzel filly was purchased for A$280,000 from breeder Arrowfield Stud’s draft at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and is out of a half-sister to multiple Group 1 winner and leading sire Pierro.
Marsh is also confident an all-out attack on the Barfoot & Thompson (1500m) at Ellerslie with Penman, Erin Go Bragh, Bourbon Proof, Sexy And I Moet and Dramatic Lass won’t go unrewarded.
He finds it hard to split his three-year-olds, but said barriers would favour Penman (four), Erin Go Bragh (five) and Bourbon Proof (two).
“The three boys have all got good draws whereas the girls have got wide gates, we have a lovely hand in the race and it’s probably going to come down to who gets the most luck in the running.”
Penman claimed three on the bounce before he lost a shoe when unplaced in The NZB Kiwi (1500m), Erin Go Bragh has won two from three, including an impressive resuming victory, and Bourbon Proof was a multiple stakes placegetter before he was out of the frame in the Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m).
Dramatic Miss was a bold last-start third in the Group 2 Wellington Guineas (1400m), in which Sexy And I Moet made late ground for ninth after drifting well back from an awkward barrier.
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