Stakes-winning mare With A Promise will be at the crossroads of her racing career when she runs at Doomben.
With A Promise will be taking on seasoned sprinters for the first time when she tackles the Ezidebit Handicap (1110m).
The mare was one of the finds of the winter carnival, winning three of her four starts before a spell including the Listed Silk Stocking against older mares at the Gold Coast.
Her only failure was in the Listed Bright Shadow Stakes when well beaten on a heavy track which she didn’t handle.
With A Promise was the darling of bookmakers in winning the Silk Stocking at $81 as well as a three-year-old race on Ipswich Cup day at $25.
However, she will be among the favourites in a small field on Saturday.
Trainer Ben Currie pointed out while With A Promise has a handy first-up record, she is unbeaten second-up.
“She has had three second-up runs for three wins. She has had a jumpout at Toowoomba to get ready for this but she obviously will benefit from the run,” Currie.
“But I would expect her to run well on Saturday.”
Currie said the race would be a good test for With A Promise as while the field was small there were some experienced horses as rivals.
“I suppose she is at the crossroads here. Her rating is already 94 and if she wins she will go up again. It might put here out of Brisbane racing for the time being,” he said.
“There is another 1200-metre open here in a fortnight for her but there is also the option of going to Sydney as I think she is up to that.”
With A Promise is one of several horses Currie trains for Queensland’s biggest owner Mick Crooks who mixes running a giant pool business with a horse property near Beaudesert.
“MIck names all the horses he breeds with the word Mishani in the name and the others he buys he gives other type names,” Currie said.
The mare is by top sire I Am Invincible and cost only $26,000 but has already returned $228,000 in prize money.
Currie won the Queensland trainers premiership last season and has already led in 15 winners this season.
“We have runners at Doomben, Kilcoy, Ipswich, the Sunshine Coast and Warwick in the next five days so it is a busy time,” he said.
Credit: AAP