After a dominant victory at Rosehill Gardens last start, She’s Unusual has earned her place at the Melbourne Spring Carnival.
The daughter of Unusual Suspect showcased her impressive turn of foot in the 1900m Handicap, settling behind the leader under Zac Lloyd before quickening sharply in the straight to win by three- and-a-quarter lengths. A trip to Melbourne for the Group 3 Tesio Stakes (2040m) at The Valley this coming Saturday is her next big assignment.
Win at Rosehill last start.
Trainers John O’Shea and Tom Charlton are experts at managing the 6yo mare and have found that she is most effective when her races are spaced apart, giving her the time to recover fully between runs. She is lightly raced and has only missed the placings once in her past six outings, and has now recorded five wins from 13 career starts.
Even after a few setbacks in previous preparations, O’Shea and Charlton have never lost confidence in her. They were very pleased with her final gallop on Tuesday, and she will enjoy an easy few days leading into her big race this weekend. Drawn barrier 8 of 15, it’s a fair gate – not ideal but not a concern. She should get her chance.
John O’Shea’s thoughts ahead of Saturday’s race.
Unusual Suspect stands at the Auret family’s Letham Stud in New Zealand. Although now withdrawn from public stud duties, the family’s only stallion has sired 50 winners from 83 runners. His progeny are slow to mature, and patience is key when preparing them for the races and this mare is a prime example of that approach paying off.
She’s unusually talented and her best is still very much ahead of her!