Tuesday’s trials at Pakenham featured two of our Spring Carnival hopes with the Stokes stable. Both Amade and Femminile look to be in good order for their first-up tasks on the weekend ahead at Caulfield.
[…] Stablemate Femminile finished behind Climbing Star in the 1000-metre heat as she also nears her return to the races.
The three-year-old was an impressive winner of the Listed Oaklands Plate at Morphettville Parks at her most recent start.
“She’s on an Oaks prep, so she steps out in the Jim Moloney on Saturday week over 1400m and then we’ll get her up in trip but she’ll be fine once she gets up in trip,” Stokes said.
Meanwhile, evergreen stayer Amade could attempt to become the first horse to go back-to-back in the Geelong Cup this spring. The notoriously slow starter came out of the stalls cleanly in the first heat of the morning over 1200m.
Amade finished 5th in Pakenham trial (red silks with black and white striped sleeves).
“He’s actually stepping from the barriers the best he’s ever done and he’s in a really good head space, this horse,” Stokes said.
“He’ll go to the Naturalism first-up Saturday week and go to the Geelong Cup and that sort of path.”
The above is an excerpt from Edward Sadler’s Racing.com article and can be read in full here.