Poster Girl makes her bid for a summer target

By Glenn Davis

The Magic Millions in January could be on the radar for talented mare Poster Girl during the Queensland Summer Racing Carnival.

The training partnership of Chris Munce and son Corey are yet to decide a summer target and will be guided by the four-year-old mare’s performances after she makes a low-key return against her own sex in a Class 3 Handicap over 1200 metres at Eagle Farm on Tuesday.

A daughter of Alabama Express, Poster Girl was given her chance to prove she could stay during the winter when aimed at the Group 1 Queensland Oaks.

But, she beat only four home behind the Kris Lees-trained You Wahng in the Queensland Oaks after finishing ninth behind star Queensland filly, Philia, in the Queensland Oaks lead-up, the Group 2 The Roses.

“We tried her as a stayer in the winter for the Queensland Oaks, but she had an up-and-down preparation after she had a couple of incidents which knocked her around a bit,” Corey Munce said. 

“I think she’ll definitely run 1600 metres but we’ll play it by ear and see how she goes each run before deciding what race she’ll aim for if she runs on Magic Millions day.

“She’s got loads of ability and she should improve after each run this campaign.”

Poster Girl will go into her first-up assignment hardened by three barrier trials including her latest second behind the Tony Gollan-trained Time Of My Life in a 1000 metre hit-out at Eagle Farm recently.

“Her first two barrier trials were a bit below par, so we gave her another trial,” Corey said.

Corey is hopeful for a forward showing from Poster Girl who will clash with stablemate Southern Charm who did her early racing with Sydney’s Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.

“I don’t think Poster Girl is a sprinting type, but she does go well fresh and has won first-up over the distance,” Corey said.

“She’s got to start off somewhere, but she’s got a bit of weight to carry.”

Poster Girl showed she was above average in her two-year-old season when she won on debut at the Sunshine Coast.

She later booked a start in last year’s Magic Millions Classic after finishing second to the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Storm Boy in the Group 2 B.J. McLachlan.

Storm Boy went on to win the $2 million Magic Millions Classic with Poster Girl finishing a brave sixth.

Meanwhile, Corey is delighted with Southern Charm who has started six times since coming north and won at her second start for the stable at Ipswich in April.

She had two barrier trials before starting her current campaign with a last start ninth to Pre Eminence in a 1000 metre Benchmark race at Eagle Farm on October 18.

“She’s going well and we got a good reaction when we trialled her recently with blinkers recently,” Corey said.

“She raised the bar in the winter and was only a small margin away from getting black-type.

“Going to 1200 metres with blinkers on and a good draw are all positives for her."