By Ray Hickson
Trainer Peter Snowden was suitably impressed with the debut of well-related filly Manaajem and now he’d like to see her show she’s destined for stakes company at Kensington on Wednesday.
The three-year-old, a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Charm Stone, overcame some difficulties in the run to score at Wyong on December 31. But she didn’t just win – she did it by 3-1/2 lengths running away.
Racing returns to Randwick’s Kensington track on Wednesday.Credit: Getty
Snowden said the Victor Ludorum First Yearlings Handicap (1100m) is a nice stepping stone and one that should be a solid test of the potential he’s seeing.
“She won quite well at Wyong, it was good to see her win like that first-up,” Snowden said.
“She’s drawn a little bit awkward, the 1100m start isn’t an easy one, but it’s a nice race for her.
“It’s a nice progression and if she’s going to go where we think she will, you’ve got to be able to win races like that.
“I’ll probably only give her another one then give her a breather.
“She’s had a few little issues along the way so we’ll take our time with her. She’s definitely got potential and always showed us black type ability in her work.”
Tommy Berry, who rode Manaajem in both her trial wins prior to her debut, is on board for the first time on race day at Kensington.
In the first trial she showed a lot of speed to lead, and she tracked the pace in winning her second, but what impressed Snowden about her Wyong win was how she relaxed when she wound up in the second half of the field.
“She’s very adaptable. I thought she’d jump and be on speed but she had that squeeze up and got shuffled back,” he said.
“I was pleasantly surprised to see her drop the bit and come back like she did.
“She relaxed really well then gathered them up in two strides. It’s hard to do at Wyong around that corner, and she was accelerating as she got around it.
“When she straightened up she found another gear.”
Everybody Rise has notched five placings from seven starts but Snowden is adamant a win isn’t far away as he tries again in the Drinkwise Plate (1000m).
“He was a victim of circumstances the other day, he was caught wide and went back and they were going slow,” he said.
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Full form and race replays available at racingnsw.com.au
