Cambridge horseman Ross McCarroll has resisted the urge to head to Sydney this weekend to watch his mare Yonce line-up in the Gr.1 Queen of the Turf Stakes (1600m).
The four-year-old daughter of Proisir takes a picket fence form line into the race, having been unbeaten in her six starts to date, with the winning streak commencing back in December.
McCarroll has been delighted with the mare’s performance since joining trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, who have placed her to perfection to bank A$366,750 this campaign, but he acknowledges the step up to weight-for-age against elite fillies and mares is the sternest test to date for the rising star.
“It is a step-up against the better ones this week, but she has earnt it,” McCarroll said.
“She has been going great, you can’t complain.
“I got a video from them (trainers) on Saturday morning, they seem pretty happy and are fairly confident, so you can only go on that.”
McCarroll, who initially trained the mare in New Zealand and remains in the ownership, said his mare will appreciate the wet weather hitting Sydney in the lead-up to Saturday.
“She definitely likes it rain-affected,” he said. “I found here that when she worked or trialled on the rain-affected tracks she was better than what she was on a hard track, and I think they have found the same.
“I think she is a very good miler. She will be fit and hard for the wet track.”
McCarroll purchased Yonce as a yearling and he said he has been impressed by her from day one.
“She has always been a nice filly, we have always liked her,” he said.
“She was passed in at the sales and I bought her as a yearling. We had a good horse years ago called Signet Ring and she reminded me of her, which is why I was attracted to her, and I liked her pedigree.
“Because she went a bit shin-sore and missed her three-year-old races we thought she was too good a horse to race here when the stake money is so good over there.
“The New Zealand owners still own a fair chunk of her, we own 50 percent.”
Prominent Australian owner Ozzie Kheir bought an interest in Yonce after she caught the eye when finishing a close third in a Te Rapa trial to Cornflower Blue, but McCarroll and his fellow Kiwi owners – Shane McAlister, Stephen Kneebone and Lyn McMullan – are all enjoying the ride.
McCarroll has seen the same opportunity in Australia for filly Bonaventure who has joined Bjorn Baker’s Sydney barn after her partial sale, with McCarroll once again remaining in the ownership.
“She is in the same boat as Yonce,” McCarroll said. “She was injured early on and missed the three-year-old racing, so a horse at her stage of her career is better placed in Australia. We think she is above average and I have sent her over to Bjorn.
“She was ready to go to the races next week but there are no races locally and we would have had to go to Ruakaka. I thought what’s the point with a horse like that? She might as well go over to Australia and race for some money.”
Meanwhile, back in New Zealand, McCarroll will line-up Annexcpetion in the HR Fisken & Sons LTD 1400 at Pukekohe on Sunday.
“She got badly galloped on last time at Tauranga after 100m, so that pretty much took her out of the race,” McCarroll said.
“She seems to have improved with the run. She seems to be pretty good going into it, but whether she could be the horse of Stephen Marsh’s (Dubai Diva) would be debatable.
“But she should be thereabouts on Saturday.”
