Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) heroine Tofane (NZ) (Ocean Park) is on track to add to her Group One tally this winter after recovering well from Saturday’s stunning win at Eagle Farm.
Trainer Mike Moroney relayed reports from Queensland that the daughter of Ocean Park was bright and well on Sunday morning.
While Moroney was reluctant to fully commit to a start in the Gr.1 Tattersalls Tiara (1400m) in 13 days, he said it was the likely option if the mare continued to please connections.
If Tofane runs in the Tiara, jockey Craig Williams will be forced to choose between the star five-year-old and popular mare Brooklyn Hustle (Starspangledbanner), aboard whom he won the Gr.2 Dane Ripper Stakes (1400m) on Saturday.
“I spoke to Lily (Miller, traveling stable representative) this morning and she’s pulled up really well,” Moroney said.
“We’ll swim her for a couple of days before we hop on her back and start to think about making a decision.
“She’s up there, it’s a Group One race and she’s flying so my first thoughts are that if she stays in really good form then we probably will run.”
The Stradbroke victory vindicated connections’ decision to withdraw Tofane from last month’s Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale and Moroney said he was excited about the prospect of training the mare for another season.
While he is warming to the idea of trying Tofane at 2000m, Moroney said the Gr.1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) shapes as a natural target race in the spring.
“It’s now my job to make sure that we made the right decision,” Moroney said.
“If we can win another million or so and then sell her on at the end if it then the job has been done.
“There are some nice races for her in the spring, the mile mares race at Flemington (Empire Rose Stakes) is one.
“If we go down that track then we’d probably miss the Cox Plate (Gr.1, 2040m) and those sort of races, but if we have a go at 2000m then it might be in the autumn in the big race up in Sydney (Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes, 2000m).
“There’s a lot to think about but we’re in a good position.”
