Juvenile Divine Glory has done little wrong in her two starts to date but ever looking for a winning edge, Peter and Paul Snowden have opted for a key gear change when the filly kicks off her autumn campaign at Rosehill.
The daughter of Hellbent finished a solid third to Platinum Jubilee in the Gimcrack Stakes on debut in October before breaking her maiden 11 days later at Warwick Farm, both on heavy tracks.
She returns in Saturday’s Group 3 Widden Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill where she will be sporting blinkers after pleasing the Snowdens’ when wearing the headgear in a recent barrier trial.
“She is a pretty laidback filly and it has always been our thought to put blinkers on her at some stage,” Peter Snowden said.
“I thought that trial the other day might be a good time to see what effect they had on her, and they certainly did (have an effect), she definitely trialled better.
“A good track won’t worry her either.”
The Snowdens look to have strong depth in their two-year-old ranks this season with Don Corleone an impressive debut winner last weekend while nominal Golden Slipper favourite King’s Gambit resumes in the Canonbury Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
The Randwick horsemen have already claimed the Breeders’ Plate with Empire Of Japan and Wyong Magic Millions 2YO Classic with Sovereign Fund, although neither placed in the recent Magic Millions Classic at the Gold Coast.
That race was dominated by the fillies who filled the first five placings, although Snowden believes it is too early in the two-year-old season to assume that means they have the wood on the males this year.
“At the Gold Coast it was very lopsided. The first four or five over the line were all fillies so that’s a fairly big statement,” he said.
“But it’s a bit too early down here to start getting percentages, there hasn’t been enough races yet.
“But in another month’s time, we’ll know a bit more about them.”