A week spent acclimatising to the Queensland sun has Victorian filly Griante primed for Saturday’s Listed Gai Waterhouse Classic at Ipswich.
Griante will shoot for her first stakes win in the Waterhouse Classic (1350m) after posting three straight wins in Melbourne.
Co-trainers David Brideoake and David Feek considered spelling Griante after her most recent win over 1600 metres at Sandown on May 31 but decided to send the three-year-old north.
“Our first thought was to spell her after her Sandown win but she did exceptionally well after that race,” Feek said.
“David (Brideoake) took her up to Queensland a week ago and she’s thrived since.”
Griante is staying at the Eagle Farm stables of John, Chris and Dan Meagher and the filly will gallop at the track on Tuesday morning.
Feek says he and Brideoake have not ruled out running Griante in the Group One Tatts’ Tiara at Eagle Farm on June 21 but the rising four-year-old would need to produce a devastating performance at Ipswich.
“She’d need to win and do an exceptional job for us to consider running her in the Tatts’ Tiara,” Feek said.
Dwayne Dunn will ride Griante in the Gai Waterhouse Classic while the jockey will also partner the stable’s other runner High Aims if she runs in the Listed Ipswich Cup (2150m).
Feek said High Aims would need a wet track to be competitive in the Ipswich Cup