While some of the opposition may have the runs on the board as far as black-type is concerned, Shane Nichols brings Climate Change to Adelaide on Saturday confident that his two-year-old’s race experience can bely her standing in the market.
Climate Change lines up in the Listed Dequetteville Stakes (1000m) at Morphettville Parks in the feature event for juvenile fillies and while she is less fancied than group three winner Karavas and the Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman-trained Lincolnshire, Nichols says that having already travelled to run in Sydney late last year and racing against the likes of Straight Charge, his filly is stronger for it.
“She was very impressive when she won at Geelong (on debut) in December and it is a race that we haven’t seen the form exposed yet,” Nichols said.
“We took her to Sydney to see if we could line up in the Inglis Millennium and she probably tapered off her prep a little bit in a very hot race so we then gave her a break and she has trialled up really well since.”
That Sydney run on December 23 saw Climate Change finish 11-lengths away from Straight Charge who, at that stage, was among Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott’s strong two-year-old features arsenal.
“Because of the programming she had the second soft trial and I have been really pleased with her,” he added.
“She’s not going to go into the race lacking race smarts and fitness, but while Karavas has won at group three, I would think my filly is still probably overs.
“Often these raced horses have a distinct advantage, but she is a very nice filly without being a star and in a race that comes up similar to a Melbourne metro Saturday, she is an each-way chance.”
Climate Change opened at $15 on Wednesday before drifting to $19 but has firmed into $12 across markets while Karavas holds favouritism at $2.50.
“But ‘Mr Conservative’ me, still won’t have a bet until I know she’s travelled well and settled in,” Nichols concluded.