The long and winding road to The All-Star Mile finally reaches that critical fork-in-the-road on Saturday for Western Australian star Inspirational Girl (NZ) (Reliable Man), who is primed to peak in the Gr.2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) at Flemington.
“It’s nice that we’ve got there at last,” a somewhat relieved owner/breeder Bob Peters said of the Blamey. “It’s been her only way into the race (All-Star Mile) as she’s had a few setbacks along the way but she’s good now, so she gets her chance.”
Peters explained that he and trainer Danny O’Brien have been preparing Inspirational Girl for a shot at the world’s richest mile without being able to even enter her for the race.
“We couldn’t enter her in The All-Star Mile because of a little clause in there that said you have to win a certain amount over the last 12 months or so and so because she hasn’t been racing, she couldn’t be entered,” he said.
“We saw this (Blamey) as are our only chance to get in.”
And what a chance it is.
Unbeaten in three runs at the 1600-metre distance, Inspirational Girl has a sizeable six-kilogram advantage at the conditions of the Blamey over race favourite Zaaki and therefore gets every hope to topple the horse who was scratched as favourite on race morning out of last spring’s Cox Plate.
Peters said he’d probably prefer Zaaki wasn’t there, but that ultimately, his mare had to earn her standing.
“It looked a very good race for her then a champion jumps into the race,” Peters said of the late decision to run Zaaki.
“I don’t know whether we can beat him or not and this race will tell us a lot more about her.
“I suppose with the weight, if she can’t win this, she’s not there (elite level).”
Peters said that, aside from Zaaki, his only other reservation about the Blamey is the start of the race.
“It’s a pity that she gets back so far in her races,” he lamented. “She jumps but then doesn’t muster speed early and so it doesn’t really matter what barrier you draw after that.”
Peters has a long history of producing super mares, with recently retired Arcadia Queen a prime example. But the 2020 G1 Railway Stakes winner has a way to go yet, he said.
“I wouldn’t put her up there yet,” he said. “She’d have to be winning the next few races for that sort of thinking.”
Peters has a handful of gallopers with O’Brien but said two of his likely autumn/winter G1 contenders will not be seen until next season.
“Unfortunately, Graceful Girl (Winterbottom Stakes winner) has splint bone problems, the same as Superstorm (Cantala Stakes), so they are both out (spelling).”
Zaaki is the $2.15 favourite in Sportsbet’s Blamey market, with Inspirational Girl at $3.80.
