By Ray Hickson
Co-trainer Ciaron Maher would be more than happy to set his sights as high as group 1 level in 2023 with emerging mare I Am Me if she can notch her first stakes win and make it four straight at Canterbury on Sunday.
The four-year-old has been dominant in three benchmark wins in Sydney over the past two months, and the listed $160,000 Kia Canterbury Sprint (1200m) is a logical step.
I Am Me will take the step into stakes grade in the Canterbury Classic on Sunday.Credit:Getty
Maher is adamant that there is more to come from I Am Me, which has been a revelation in the first half of the season, and, while he stops short of saying she has been a surprise packet, he sees no reason why she can’t reach a higher level with continued improvement.
“Depending on how she goes, if she won well I’d be thinking about handicap group 1s or certainly having them in our sights,” Maher said.
“It’s the right time to take on a stakes race. She drops to a lovely weight and she’s in career-best form. The ease that she’s doing it this prep is a bit surprising, I suppose.
She’s in great order, she looks fantastic and I think she looks even better than she did the other day. We don’t do a lot with her because she’s racing fairly regularly.”
I Am Me made it three from three this campaign when she clocked a stunning one minute and 7.77 seconds in winning a benchmark 88 at Randwick over 1200m on December 17.
That was a wind-assisted but Maher said she had come through well and would be able to offset a the wide barrier when she jumps from the outside in the 10-horse field.
“James [McDonald] reckons if she was challenged the other day she had a bit more there,” he said.
“The times don’t lie. I rather her do that than not. Her form would reflect she’s a better horse, she’s furnished a bit. She’s got a high cruising speed. Whether it’s a stayer or sprinter if they’ve got that tactical speed it’s an advantage.”
This will be I Am Me’s fourth attempt at a listed race. Her best result is fourth in the Denise’s Joy.
Supplied by Racing NSW
Full form and race replays available at racingnsw.com.au
