Splash Back primed for season finale

By Brad Bishop and Trent Crebbin

An imported mare has a big chance of a Group 1 victory.

The Tattersall's Tiara is proving a battle of attrition and Grahame Begg has his fingers crossed for a safe week with his representative, Splash Back.

The imported mare will chase maiden Group 1 success in Saturday's $700,000 event for fillies and mares at Eagle Farm.

Splash Back was promoted to the head of betting following the news that She's Got Pizzazz would be joining Group 1 star Fangirl and Stradbroke Handicap champion Spicy Martini in bypassing Australia's final Group 1 of the season.

You won’t hear Begg complaining about not having that trio for competition. 

Begg's confidence is buoyed by the way his six-year-old has come through her sixth placing behind Spicy Martini in the Stradbroke Handicap on June 13.

"It surprised me that it's fallen away a little bit in a sense – Fangirl's gone for a break, Spicy Martini has gone for a break, they're in the spelling paddock – but it will still be a competitive race," Begg said.

"She's come through the Stradbroke really well and we're absolutely looking forward to it.

"It's Weight for Age, it's over 1400 metres and she's rock hard fit now."

Splash Back came up with barrier six in the 17-horse Tatt's Tiara with one emergency and Jordan Childs returns aboard her.

Second in the race last year from barrier four, Abounding drew the widest gate while Tuileries drew barrier three with Manaal in nine.

Splash Back, the six-year-old daughter of Le Havre, will be lining up for the fifth run of the campaign on Saturday, the highlight of her lead-in being a second career Group 2 win in the Victory Stakes on May 2.

That came after a first-up seventh in the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes, while her Stradbroke appearance was preceded by a ninth placing in the Kingsford Smith Cup, four weeks after the Victory Stakes win.

"She came off a good layoff between runs, but we aimed the prep that way," Begg said.

"There was going to be a gap between Sydney and the Victory Stakes and then she had the break between the next run.

"This was the one we had in mind since last spring, the Tatt's Tiara, a Weight for Age race for mares. It's the race that we earmarked."

Meanwhile, a full field of mares, and one filly, are set to line up in the Tattersall's Tiara over 1400 metres on Saturday and for many it is their best chance of securing an elusive Group 1.

The news broke early in the week that pre-post favourite She's Got Pizzazz won't be running and it's fair to say she'd have jumped a warm favourite on Saturday given her strong win in the Dane Ripper Stakes, which is often used as the key lead up.

A total of 89 horses has gone from the Dane Ripper to the Tatt's Tiara since 2010 and that set have provided seven winners, more than any other race, albeit only just.

They've also overachieved relative to the market, which has expected a tick under six winners in that time and while the winner isn't there, the run of second-placed Gerringong still reads well.