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Surgery for promising filly; Group One options for Travelling Light; French trip still on the cards for Kiwi mare; Tofane nearing raceday return

Surgery for promising filly

Group Two-winning filly Needle And Thread will undergo minor surgery later this week to remove a bone chip.

The Stephen Autridge and Kris Shailer-trained filly was one of the favoured runners for last Saturday's Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) but tailed the field home.

"She got a very small chip on her near-front, which is going to be removed on Thursday," Autridge said.

"She will be having at least eight weeks confinement and then go to a water-walker."

While her three-year-old term has been cut short, Autridge said there is plenty to look forward to in her four-year-old season.

"She is definitely the type that is going to improve with time," he said.

"Even though she is pretty good now, she will mature into a lovely mare and should be up to getting some more black-type.

"I am going to say 2000m will be her best distance because there are more chances for her.

"But a mare who can race on the speed over a mile, 1800m and 2000m is going to be quite interesting."

Group One options for Travelling Light

Group One winner Travelling Light will be on trial for an Australian assignment at Tauranga this weekend.

The Ben Foote-trained mare will contest the Gr.2 Ultimate Mazda Japan Trophy (1600m) and her performance on Saturday will dictate whether she travels to Sydney to target the Gr.1 Coolmore Legacy Stakes (1600m).

"She is nominated for the Coolmore Legacy, but we will see what happens on Saturday," Foote said.

"She will have to show us that she is up to it. She would have to do something spectacular to be worthy of going."

Travelling Light's other more likely option is to stay in New Zealand and contest the Gr.1 Fiber Fresh NZ Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes (1600m) at Te Aroha on April 10.

"There are some smart mares going there, but I think she is up to it. We will see what happens on Saturday, and whatever does happen she will improve from."

Meanwhile, stablemate Babylon Berlin is preparing for a tilt at the Gr.3 Cambridge Breeders' Stakes (1200m) at Te Rapa on May 1.

The daughter of All Too Hard has placed at stakes level on three occasions this season and Foote would like to end her three-year-old term on a winning note.

"She is ticking along nicely," Foote said. "She is going to Awapuni on Saturday-week for the three-year-old 1200m, and then she will head to the Cambridge Breeders' after that.

"At this stage we will head to those two races and then next prep we will set our sights a bit higher."

Foote also reported that Travelling Light's Group Three winning half-sister Vitesse Bo has been retired after suffering a season-ending injury.

French trip still on the cards for Kiwi mare

A tilt at one of the world's most prestigious races, the Gr.1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (2400m) remains a possibility for New Zealand-bred mare Verry Elleegant.

The daughter of Zed has tasted Group One success in Australia over the distance in the Caulfield Cup, Tancred Stakes, and Australian Oaks, and now her ownership group are keen to test her further afield.

Part-owner Brae Sokolski told Racing.com he would love to see his mare head to Europe in October, with plenty of her connections getting onboard with the idea.

"The rest of the ownership group is on board if it can be done and I know Chris (Waller, trainer) is warming to the prospect of putting her on the world stage," Sokolski said.

"They are lofty ambitions we have for her on the global stage, but the time will be absolutely right for her. She'll be a six-year-old mare at the peak of her powers going to her best distance (2400m) and likely on a suitable wet surface.

"There just isn't much left for her in the spring here. She's out of the handicaps and we're not certain of her around The Valley (Gr.1 Cox Plate, 2040m)."

Verry Elleegant has returned in good form this preparation, placing in the Gr.2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) fresh-up before winning the Gr.1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) last month.

This weekend she will renew her rivalry with British raider Addeybb in the Gr.1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill, a race she finished runner-up to the William Haggas-trained gelding last year.

Verry Elleegant was initially trained in New Zealand by part-owner Nick Bishara, for whom she won two of her three starts in her homeland before heading to Australia.

Tofane nearing raceday return

Group One-winning mare Tofane is nearing a raceday return after a bout with illness.

"She had a kidney infection," trainer Michael Moroney told Racing.com.

"She had to go to Werribee (Vet Hospital) for a while. It was lucky we picked it up.

"She just got some sort of bug. She was just running a slight temperature, so we treated her for it and it came back down.

"And it was just our vet walked past one day and said her urine smelt funny. So we thought we better run a blood off her and we picked it up off her blood.

"It was really lucky."

The daughter of Ocean Park pleased Moroney with her jumpout win at Flemington on Friday and now a trip north, including both Sydney and Brisbane, is on the cards.

"She hit the line without being moved on," Moroney said. "Mark Zahra (jockey) rode her and was very happy with her.

"She looks particularly well and looks like she's over the problems she has had.

"We might run on the last day (of The Championships in Sydney), the Listed 1200m race and then head up to Queensland, all going well."