Kissonallforcheeks may have left a raft of punters down when beaten as favourite at Moonee Valley, but trainer Nick Ryan expects her to bounce back at Caulfield.
The Group 2 Tristarc Stakes (1400m) on Saturday is being used to get Kissonallforcheeks into peak form for the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on the opening day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
Kissonallforcheeks is eligible for a $1 million bonus if successful in the Empire Rose Stakes having taken out the Group 2 Let’s Elope Stakes (1400m) at Flemington last month.
The winner of Saturday’s Tristarc Stakes is also eligible for a $1 million bonus if successful at Flemington.
The Godolphin-owned and James Cummings-trained Collette collected the ‘bonus’ for winning the Tristarc-Empire Rose double last year.
On the strength of her victory in the Let’s Elope, Kissonallforcheeks was sent out favourite when finishing sixth in the Group 2 Stocks Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on September 23.
Ryan said the mare was ridden upside down on that occasion in an attempt to overcome the bias that favoured horses up on the speed.
It will be a different story on Saturday with Kissonallforcheeks drawing gate 14 in the 16-horse field.
“We rode to the bias, and she wasn’t happy at The Valley,” Ryan said.
“She was ridden upside down and it didn’t work out.
“She’s been freshened and is coming back to the 1400 metres. She’s drawn wide, so she’ll be ridden back, and I think she can bounce back.”
Ryan said it was not ideal to be running on what is likely to be a heavy track on Saturday.
“Her Grand Final is in two weeks after Saturday, the Empire Rose, so she has to run, so what do you do,” Ryan said.
Kissonallforcheeks is expected to return to Perth following the Empire Rose where she has been entered for the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) on November 26 and the inaugural running of The Gold Rush (1400m) two weeks later.