The Lindsey Smith-trained Saone will have her second tilt at black-type when she lines-up in the Gr.2 Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) at Caulfield on Sunday.
The New Zealand-bred filly finished fourth in the Listed Atlantic Jewel Stakes (1200m) last start and Smith is expecting a bold run from the three-year-old this weekend, whom he compares favourably with stablemates Adelaide Ace and Olympic Oath.
“I knew she had class as soon as I first saw her,” Smith said.
“Her runs have been good. I know she only won at Ballarat but she was gone that day, she was interfered with on the fence and she gave the leaders a big head start and I thought she had done a good job to win.
“Her run was good the other day (in the Atlantic Jewel).”
Smith is weighing up a tilt at the Gr.1 Kennedy Oaks (2500m) in November, however, he believes the mile distance of Gr.1 Thousand Guineas could be more suitable.
“She is maybe not mature enough to go to the Oaks, but we will find that out. She will run a good race on Sunday, maybe a mile will be better for her.
“She is in good spirits and in good form.”
A daughter of Burgundy, Saone was bred by Sir Patrick and Lady Justine Hogan and was sold through Cambridge Stud’s 2018 Karaka Book 1 draft for $110,000 to Chad Ormsby under his Riverrock Farm Partnership banner.
The filly was later sold privately after an impressive victory at the Cambridge trials.
