Mick Price and Craig Newitt’s assault on Melbourne’s major sprints begins in earnest on Saturday when star mare Samaready makes her return in the Lightning Stakes.
And both her trainer and jockey have declared the mare is ready to make an immediate impact chasing her third Group One win.
“She’s flying,” Newitt, who has ridden Samaready throughout her career, said.
“I think she’s definitely come back equally as well (as the spring), if not a shade better.”
A star juvenile who won the 2012 Blue Diamond Stakes, Samaready returned in the spring from a year off the scene and confirmed herself as one of the top sprinters in the country.
After a first-up Group Three win at Caulfield, the four-year-old stepped out in the Group One Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley and powered to a four length win.
She started a short-priced favourite in the Manikato Stakes at her next start but could only manage eighth and a post-race scope detected a degree of internal exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage.
Price said Samaready was primed for Saturday after two pleasing jump-outs in recent weeks at Caulfield.
“She’s perfect. She’s scoping clean. She’s sound and she has still only had nine starts,” Price said.
The Lightning is the first target for Samaready with the Newmarket Handicap, possibly the William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley and the the Group One TJ Smith Stakes in Sydney on the agenda.
“Sydney holds no fears for her. She’s a Reisling Slipper Trial winner and she ran third in a Golden Slipper so hopefully she can join our Sydney team,” Price said.
Newitt said Samaready, who won over the Flemington 1000m straight course on debut as a two-year-old, would appreciate what should be a solid tempo.
“I think it will be good because I think there’ll be speed in the race,” he said.
“You’ve got the two-year-old (Boomwaa), you’ve got Snitzerland and you’ve got Bernabeu who trialled the other day. So she should just get a nice tag off the back of them.”
Price also has Lankan Rupee, impressive winner of Saturday’s Group Two Rubiton Stakes on target for Group One sprints in Melbourne with the Oakleigh Plate his next scheduled start.
