Jon Miller will be represented by two decent prospects at New Plymouth on Saturday and he will also be keeping a close eye on Flemington.
The Cambridge trainer has an improving Dashwood and the genuine Super Dialo to look forward to on the domestic front while their former stablemate Cindy Falls will chase further success in Victoria.
Miller prepared the daughter of Sacred Falls to win three races and placed on another three occasions for owner Mark Brady before she relocated to Lee and Shannon Hope’s Seymour stable.
Cindy Falls ran third at Sandown in her Australian debut and then won the Leilani Final (1400m) at Flemington, where on Saturday she will step out in the Rising Stars Final (1600m).
“We sent her across about a month before she won, it was good to see her go over and at the end of the day she would be racing for $35,000 in her grade here and over there for A$150,000 and she picked one up,” Miller said.
“She’s won about A$100,000 already and there’s not much of her, but she is certainly determined and eventually I think she’ll get 2000m.”
Meanwhile, Dashwood will contest the Revital Fertilisers Open (1800m) and while it is a step up in grade, the son of Redwood is fitter for recent racing.
He stepped up to a middle-distance last time out to finish a respectable sixth at Te Rapa and Miller said he had benefitted with that outing under his belt.
“I’m just hoping it will be loose ground, some of the tracks have been quite sticky and when Sam (Spratt) rode him at Waikato she said he never handled it and was dipping and diving.
“Last time, I asked Warren (Kennedy, jockey) to tuck him in behind, but he ended up in front and he was a sitting duck.
“He’s more of a chaser than a leader, but he has improved with the run and he’s got a light weight.”
Dashwood will carry 53kg with the benefit of apprentice Niranjan Parmar’s claim while Kelly Myers has been booked for Super Dailo in the UBP Ltd Maiden (1100m).
The Swiss Ace gelding is overdue a major reward after posting four consecutive placings.
“He’s been knocking on the door but just manages to get run down,” Miller said.
“At Te Rapa, a horse came out under his neck just as he was making his run and the next time he was taken on in front and they got him right on the line.
“Sam (Spratt) rode him last time, I possibly should have claimed, and she rode a mighty race and it was just the pull in the weights in the finish.
“She hopped off and said he might be better going left-handed so I think he’s got a pretty good chance this time.”
