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Elle Elite In Quezette Stakes

3 minute read

Elite Elle upstaged Blue Diamond winner Samaready in the $120,000 Quezette Stakes at Caulfield to remain unbeaten after four career starts.

Tony Vasil<br>Photo by Racing and Sports
Tony Vasil
Photo by Racing and Sports

With all the hype surrounding the return of Blue Diamond winner Samaready, Elite Elle’s bid to remain undefeated took a back seat.

However the focus quickly switched to Elite Elle as she found herself positioned ideally just outside the speed before gapping the majority of the field for her first black type success.

While the resuming Agueda fought doggedly in hanging on for a one length second, it was then another five lengths back to Ephemera.

Favourite Samaready was a beaten horse in the heavy going a long way from home but still tried hard in the straight to claim fourth.

The Quezette Stakes was a case of plan executed for the connections of Elite Elle.

“We identified this race quite a few weeks ago and as much as it went to plan I was quite taken back when Samaready was in it,” trainer Tony Vasil said.

“I think the track being very heavy has helped this filly very much and it gives you a bit of an idea where she slots in as far as the standard of opposition goes. She proved too classy today.”

Elite Elle has relished slow and heavy tracks on offer during the winter with trainer Tony Vasil hopeful they stay around for the remainder of the her maiden race campaign.

The Shamardal filly relishes rain affected ground with Vasil suggesting she wasn’t comfortable during her winning Bendigo debut where she raced on a Dead 4.

“Both of her trials were on Heavy ground before she raced and then when I took her to Bendigo on a Dead 4 and Damien rode her there, even Damien said she felt the ground on that,” Vasil said.

“Until she runs on a firmer track we really don’t know. She is in the 1000 Guineas but she hasn’t run over a mile yet. We’ll just creep forward step by step and see where we end up landing.”

Jockey Damien Oliver has partnered the filly in three of her four career starts and shared similar sentiments to Vasil.

“I rode her two or three months ago in a trial on a wet track and I said ‘every now and then you get on one on a soft track who gets through it like it is good and she is one of those,” Oliver said.

“On the wet ground she is so smooth and just loves the conditions.

“She is a filly who has come through the winter and you just have to see how far you can get with her. She is certainly going to cash in now while the tracks are wet and distance wise too we are not sure how far she is going to get either.

“I’m confident she will run 1400m but we’ll just play it by ear until she gets there.”

Regular rider of Samaready, Craig Newitt, reported the filly simply didn’t handle the Heavy 10 conditions on offer at Caulfield today.


Racing and Sports

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