Chris Anderson's lass is Sunlight ready

By Jordan Gerrans

Magic Millions Sunlight hopeful Get Ready Lass only has two career victories to her name, but Eagle Farm trainer Chris Anderson is adamant her racing record does not tell the entire tale.

The brown filly will be thrown in the deep end on Saturday at the Gold Coast when she contests the lucrative $3 million Magic Millions Sunlight over 1100 metres.

After a few slot holders showed interest in the daughter of Better Than Ready, Anderson and his connections eventually teamed up with Mike Sherrin, of Sheralee Racing, for the race.

Get Ready Lass will race in Sherrin’s red, orange hoops, diamonds sleeves and red cap colours for the race.

As of Friday morning, Anderson’s young filly is judged as a $27 shot for the Sunlight by the bookmakers.

The Brisbane trainer is confident the sprinter he personally picked out at the sales will put in a mighty effort in the rich slot race on Saturday.

“Get Ready Lass has always shown us a really good level of ability,” he said.

“If you were to go through and look at her previous form to this preparation, she's been quite unlucky in quite a number of races.

“There was a $1 million two-year-old Magic Millions race last year where she was last out of the gates and she bungled the start.

“She was still last at the 300 metre mark and she was very, very stiff that night, I think.

“The great thing about training a filly like her is she's very unassuming. She does very little at home to excite you on the track, but come race day, she's a little professional.

“She's very quirky, but she's a professional and just gives everything, she gives 100 percent. That's all you ever want of a racehorse, that's for sure.”

In Get Ready Lass’ two runs this time in, she has been nothing short of impressive.

She won well at Caloundra first-up in a 3YO Quality Handicap over 1000 metres in late November before putting in an excellent effort to run second at the Gold Coast second-up.

She was beaten by a touch over half-a-length in the Gold Coast performance, finishing just behind Bjorn Baker’s Swordplay in the GC1000 3YO Plate.

While there are different formlines from all over Australia leading into the Sunlight, Anderson thinks his progressive youngster couldn’t have done much more ahead of Saturday.

“Her two runs in have been superb,” he said.

“First-up, she was always going to be vulnerable over 1000 metres at the Sunny Coast with their long straight.

“She did the work, not only in the early and middle stages, but she had to be very, very tough in the concluding stages and she was there to be beaten but she is so tenacious.

“Second-up, she was just as good, albeit running second,

“I thought she was extremely brave, she's going as good as ever this time - that's for sure.”

Get Ready Lass was a $60,000 yearling purchase and is raced by a big group of owners including Brisbane Racing Club chairman Richard Morrison.

"I feel that because Chris Anderson is a smaller stable that she's one that probably slips under the punters' guard," Morrison said.

"Foreign Press is one horse that's right in the market and we've beaten it a couple of times fair and square.

"We're really confident that she will run well."

The 51-year-old Anderson credited his teenage son Angus for helping the stable land a slot in the feature event.

“It's really exciting and it's just not the excitement to gain a slot, it was the excitement in negotiating the slot, as well,” the trainer said.

“It was a lot of fun, a lot of toing and froing, excitement that we thought we were going to get one and then you think you're going to miss out.

“It was a really exciting process and relieving to the point where we think we've got a filly that we think she'll race well.

“She makes her own luck and I think she deserves her opportunity.”

Leading Brisbane hoop Ben Thompson rode Get Ready Lass in her first-up win and has regained the mount for Saturday’s contest.

Thompson – who has only recently returned from riding in Hong Kong – will need to contend with a wide gate in the $3 million race.

Anderson says Get Ready Lass’ performance on Saturday will determine her path in 2026 as he plots out her winter carnival campaign.

Anderson will also have stablemate Koolatah Queen racing at the Gold Coast on Saturday with Cejay Graham to partner the filly in the Magic Millions Maiden Plate over 1400 metres.