Emirates Park hoping for Sweet result with homebred filly Marhoona
Emirates Park will be bidding to make it back-to-back wins in the Sweet Embrace Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) with another homebred when Marhoona (Snitzel) tackles the $300,000 Group 2 for fillies at Randwick on Saturday.
Having sent out fellow Emirates Park homebred Manaal (Tassort) to land the contest by 1.2 lengths under Tommy Berry last year, trainer Michael Freedman is looking to repeat the feat with his once-raced winner.
Marhoona had shown plenty of promise before her racetrack debut when taking out a pair of trials at Canterbury and Randwick respectively, and was sent off a $3 chance to score on her first public start in an 1100-metre contest back at the aforementioned track.
Ridden by Jason Collett on the Good 4 surface that day, the juvenile daughter of Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) was forced to overcome a wide run from deep in the field to get up in the final strides, defeating Dream Side (Trapeze Artist) by 0.3 lengths at the line.
“Her win was a lot better than it looked on paper, she pulled two shoes and was a bit sore afterwards,” Emirates Park’s general manager Bryan Carlson told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“However, she’s come out after that really well and her work in the last week has been good so she’s definitely improved a lot coming out of that win.
“She does get a bit worked up so she sort of missed the start on debut and then ran at the back of the pack and got shoved out wide, but despite all that she still went on to win so she’s versatile and dug down deep there. I think going into the weekend she’s a nice filly.”
On the evidence of that debut success, Carlson feels Saturday’s step up to 1200 metres will likely suit Marhoona, who will have last year’s winning rider Tommy Berry in the saddle with Jason Collet booked to ride the Bjorn Baker-trained Within The Law (Lucky Vega). The pair will jump from barrier two in the 14-runner field.
“I think the 1200 metres will be ideal for her and on a good track it should be perfect,” Carlson said.
“Jason rode her through the week and was very happy with her. We’ve got Tommy back aboard, Jason was already booked to ride the other filly [Within The Law].
“I don’t think it’s a bad [draw]. Hopefully she can get a nice run just off the pace and a nice gap on the turn would be perfect.”
Carlson said Emirates Park would love to double-up in this weekend’s Sweet Embrace Stakes following Manaal’s victory last year, after which the daughter of Tassort (Brazen Beau) went on to land the Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) back at Randwick the following month.
“It would definitely [be nice], yes. We’ve won the race before with One More Honey, who we bought as a weanling, and then with Manaal last year [who was a homebred],” Carlson said.
“We love to win these two-year-old fillies races in the autumn and to do it from a family that we’ve been a part of would be great and we’d love to back-up and do it again after last year.”
“It’ll also be great to get some black-type on the board too. We’ve got a few sisters to her as well so it’d be great to keep that number up.”
There have been four fillies that have completed the Sweet Embrace / Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) double in the race’s history – Dark Eclipse (Baguette) (1980), Ha Ha (Danehill) (2001), Crystal Lily (Stratum) (2010) and Fireburn (Rebel Dane) (2022) – and although the thought of having a Slipper chance would be nice, Carlson revealed they would not be pushed into sending Marhoona towards the race following this weekend.
“Everything would have to go perfect for that. We try not to push them and we let them tell us where they’re going,” he said.
“If she happened to win this weekend then we’d have to consider it, but we’ll just take it one step at a time. It’d be great for her to go on further into the Slipper or one of those other Group 1 races.”
Later on the same Randwick card, Emirates’ Group 1-winning three-year-old Manaal will have her second start of the campaign in the Surround Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m).
Having taken out the Furious Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) from a trio of starts in the spring, where she was placed on the other two outings, Manaal made a slightly underwhelming return when ninth in February’s Light Fingers Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) behind Lady Shenandoah (Snitzel), who sits at the top of the betting for Saturday’s Group 1.
However, Carlson feels the filly has genuine excuses that day, and her second-up record currently stands at two-from-two.
“The way the race was run last time out didn’t suit her over the 1200 [metres]. She’s now stepping back up to 1400 which will suit, the barrier isn’t ideal, but her work in the last two weeks has been very good so I think you’ll see a better run from her and hopefully she can be there in the finish,” he said.
“She is one of those fillies that isn’t best up fresh so I think this time around we’ll see a different horse.”