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Chris Waller labeled Olentia a future Group 1 winner, and it’s hard to argue with that assessment after the mare’s exciting exhibition at Rosehill on Saturday.
It wasn't an ideal set up for the four-year-old as she drifted back from the outside alley and as it turned out they didn't exactly burn turf – Punter's Intelligence data showed the leader Tristate clocked 35.33 for the first 600m and was able to hold on to run second.
Aside from Vreneli, all the on pacers stayed on to fight it out for the minor placings.
So for Olentia to come from the back and round them up she needed to produce a sharp turn of speed, and that's exactly what she did.
Her last 600m of 33.20 was almost six lengths faster than Tristate and over four lengths quicker than anything else in the race.
She sizzled running 10.70 between the 400m and 200m and her last 200m of 11.17 was a tick under two lengths faster than her rivals.
She's already a Group 3 winner but that was on a heavy track, what she displayed in winning first-up, and taking her record to five wins from six starts, is a turn of foot that will see her win better races.
It was a bunched finish in the Listed Rosebud (1100m) so we might need to take the form with a degree of caution. That said the winner Tiz Invincible was slowly away and had to dig in late to win so there was some merit there.
She ran 33.44 for her last 600m which was fourth fastest of the race behind the sharp finish of Cigar Flick who posted a 32.92 final 600m including a 10.64 (400m-200m) and 10.72 last 200m.
Where Chris Waller places Group 1 winner Madame Pommery will be interesting after her close call in the TAB Handicap (1400m) to another spring contender in Pericles.
The mare ran 33.16 for her last 600m, just under four lengths faster than Pericles who was next fastest at 33.76. Both horses held their sprint quite well over the last 400m with the mare obviously having more dash late.
You'd imagine a race like the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) is on the radar for both classy gallopers.
Caballus had a hard luck story in the opening race over 1300m but don't undersell the win of Kintyre who covered more ground and ran a 34.00 final 600m, the race's fastest.
Once in the clear Caballus did run home in the quickest last 200m of 11.37 and you'd imagine he breaks 34 if he wasn't held up until near the 200m with his last 600m of 34.11.
Molly Nails did her chances of earning a Kosciuszko berth no harm with an eye-catching return over 1100m behind a flying Smashing Eagle.
The winner did record the meeting's fastest last 600m but Molly Nails's 33.12 was easily the second best of the race and just missed breaking 11 seconds for her final 200m (11.01). And she was first-up since August last year.
