3 minute read
We've already seen the Arcadia Queen show at Rosehill and the former queen of Perth racing didn't let anybody down. Now it's time for her stablemate Enticing Star to take the stage and prove that she too can bring her WA form to the big dance in Sydney.
Perth's leading owner Bob Peters sent Arcadia Queen and Enticing Star to Sydney's premier trainer Chris Waller with the sole aim of getting both mares into the world's richest turf race, the $1`4 million Everest at Randwick on October 19.
So far so good.
Arcadia Queen was locked into the Everest slot held by The Star in June and not long after Waller announced that Enticing Star would fill the slot held by his stable.
For Peters it was a double windfall as both mares secured their berths without ever having raced away from home.
Arcadia Queen delivered on the high expectations held for her when she made her Sydney debut at Rosehill on September 14. Having her first outing since she won the G1 Kingston Town Stakes over 1800m at Ascot last December, she stamped her class on the G2 Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) with an emphatic win that took her record to six wins from seven starts.
Enticing Star was also an acceptor for the September 14 meeting at Rosehill but Waller elected to hold back the six-year-old mare for her Sydney debut at Rosehill this Saturday where she will take on her own sex in the $400,000 Golden pendant over 1400m.
While two years older than Arcadia Queen Enticing Star did not have her first start until she was a late 3YO in 2017 and has since had only 10 career starts for eight wins.
She last raced on December 1 when she finished second to Voodoo Lad in the G1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) at Ascot.
Like Arcadia Queen she had made an impression in her lead-up trials in Sydney, recording excellent wins in heats at Rosehill and Canterbury over the last six weeks.
She is taking on 1400m first-up on Saturday but is unbeaten at the start of her three previous in three campaigns. She has raced twice over 1400m for a win at Pinjarra at her second career start and a sixth in the G2 Lee-Steere Stakes at Ascot last November.
Chris Waller is not concerned about the 1400m challenge first-up for Enticing Star.
"It is obviously a little unorthodox before an Everest but I think it works for her," Waller said.
""She is a lovely horse to work and looking at her race record shows she is not only a winner but has also been quite dominant."
James McDonald rode Arcadia Queen in her Sydney debut and will also be aboard Enticing Star on Saturday, having ridden the Testa Rossa mare in her most recent trial win at Canterbury on September 2.
