By Glenn Davis
The training partnership of Toby and Trent Edmonds is relieved a winter Stakes campaign on home soil is back on the agenda for talented filly Vanna Girl.
Vanna Girl heads a three-pronged attack by Team Edmonds in the QTIS Three-Year-Old Handicap (1400m) at the Gold Coast on Friday.
The Edmonds stable is one of the biggest stable in south-east Queensland with more than 90 horses in work at the Gold Coast.
Vanna Girl, a Matt McGillivray mount, is set to clash with stablemates Indian Dreamer and Vivid Fortress.
Vanna Girl has won three of her six starts and is coming off a last start second against her own age behind the highly rated Command’n’Conquer over 1350 metres at Doomben on March 28.
Team Edmonds was resigned to missing the chance for Vanna Girl to claim Black-Type as a three-year-old in Queensland when the coronavirus outbreak forced her original winter target, the Group 1 Queensland Oaks, to be abandoned this year.
However, Racing Queensland has introduced a substitute series of Black-Type racing in the coming months headlined by the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap and Group 1 J J Atkins at Eagle Farm in June.
“We were thinking of sending Vanna Girl to Sydney when the original winter carnival was scrapped but she can stay here now for The Roses,” Trent Edmonds said.
“Vivid Fortress was also going to go south but she’ll also target races here.”
Vanna Girl, a daughter of Husson, was a cheap $40,000 buy as a yearling and produced an eye-catching performance when she made her comeback last month.
“I thought she should have won last start had she not got smashed and taken out of contention,” Trent Edmonds said.
“But she was very good late.
“With no Queensland Oaks this year, she can target The Roses instead. She’s won twice at the mile and her pedigree is littered with good stayers.
“We were going to send both fillies to Sydney for Black-Type races but they’re both better off staying at home now.”
Vivid Fortress debuted with a fast finishing fifth at Grafton in February before scoring by more than four lengths against a smart field of three-year-old fillies at Eagle Farm on March 25.
Edmonds rates Vanna Girl as the pick of his trio but has warned Indian Dreamer will be hard to beat after two wins and as many placings from his four starts.
“He’s very smart and will take plenty of beating and we might have to change the goal posts after this if he runs well,” he said.
Racing Queensland webnews - April 16