Cindy Falls evened the ledger with Sir Sterling at Te Rapa last start, and she will be out to go one better when the pair meet at the Hamilton track once more in Saturday’s Jones Trucking 1400.
The Lauren Brennan-trained Sir Sterling got the upper hand in in their first meeting in September last year, and trainer Jon Miller was pleased to see his mare turn the tables last month over 1300m.
“They have met a couple of times, when she was first-up a while ago he was first and she was second at Te Rapa, and she turned the tables on him last time,” Miller said.
“She has come through it well, I am fairly happy with her. I am just trying to keep her on the fresh side.”
Cindy Falls has drawn the ace barrier, while Sir Sterling has drawn out wide in 14, a place Miller would rather be when it comes to race seven on what was rated a Heavy8 track on Friday morning.
“The only thing I am concerned about is if the track gets a bit too cut up on the inside as she has drawn barrier one,” he said.
“It is a fairly similar field, so we will just try and ride her the same way as we did last time, just quietly.”
TAB bookmakers are leaning towards Sir Sterling on Saturday, with the four-year-old gelding rated a $5.50 favourite, with Cindy Falls a joint fourth favourite at $7.
The winner of three of her 11 races to date, Miller is excited for the future with his mare, but said he will take her along quietly.
“I am just trying to get her through the first couple of runs before she starts to step up,” he said. “It is just a matter of placing her at the moment, guide her through and then see where we are at.
“It is only early days for us at the moment. We are just trying to pick through the grades and hopefully we will get her up over a bit of ground, around 2000m, I think that is where she is going to find her real groove.”
Miller will also line-up last start placegetter Super Dailo in the Direct Fats & Oils 1200.
While he has also drawn an inside alley (2), Miller said being in an earlier race, he is less concerned about the heavy track conditions. “He is in the earlier part of the day, so I am not too worried about the track at that point. I think it is quite a nice draw for him,” he said.
