Single Red got her Queensland campaign off to a pleasing start on Saturday when finishing runner-up to Nightline in the Listed Gold Coast Bracelet (1800m), and trainer Andrew Forsman is looking forward to what lies ahead for the daughter of Vanbrugh.
The Group One performer jumped away well under leading Kiwi hoop Craig Grylls to sit outside leader Spicy Lu and hit the lead at the top of the straight. She looked the winner with 150m to go, however, fellow New Zealand-bred filly Nightline flew home late to collect the spoils.
“We were rapt with her, it is just a shame it didn’t work out as we would have hoped,” Forsman said.
“She was always going to begin well and put herself there and just got left without cover outside the leader, who just went too quick. I thought they put the pressure on far too early and that run stopped as quickly as it started. She was left in front a fair way out and was always going to be vulnerable, and she got beaten by a pretty smart horse on the day.”
Forsman’s team have been pleased with the way she has come through the race and she will now press on to the Gr.2 The Roses (2000m) at Doomben on May 23 before heading to the Gr.1 Queensland Oaks (2200m) at Eagle Farm on June 6.
“She has come through it really well, we are rapt with her,” Forsman said. “How well she did in that first week over there is encouraging. She was going to improve with that run and we were hopeful that we could have got a win on the board, but we can really set her up for these last two races.”
Raced by trans-Tasman syndicator OTI Racing, Single Red will be looking to end her three-year-old season on a high, having already won three of her seven starts since making her debut in January, and placed behind Ohope Wins in the Gr.2 David and Karyn Ellis Fillies Classic (2100m) and Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m).
The above is an excerpt from a LOVERACING.NZ article which can be accessed here.