Melbourne on radar for Emerald Queen

19 December 2014

The connections of the well-performed Emerald Queen (NZ) (O’Reilly) might look offshore next year to further the mare’s black type record.

She has already fashioned a tidy record at stakes level and Australian options are under consideration for the O’Reilly five-year-old.

“We might look at Melbourne in the autumn and see if we can pick off a race there to bolster her pedigree,” said Shane Kennedy, who prepares Emerald Queen at Riccarton with Anna Furlong.

“There’s plenty of fillies and mares races there every week that would suit her.”

Emerald Queen has won six races, including the South Island Breeders’ Stakes and the Canterbury Belle Stakes at Listed level.

She also has Group Three placings in the Eulogy and Lowland Stakes and in the Listed Ray Coupland Stakes on her record.

Most recently, Emerald Queen finished eighth in the Gr.2 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile at Riccarton where she fought on well after racing three wide without cover.

“She’s freshened up well since cup week and is going really well,” Kennedy said.

Emerald Queen will resume in Friday’s Brent Read Retirement Home Open 1400 at Ashburton, where she has a couple of wins and a placing to her credit.

She will be ridden by the stable apprentice Doni Prastiyou, whose two previous rides on the mare have resulted in an open handicap success at Riccarton and a fourth.

Kennedy said next month’s Listed Timaru Stakes was also on Emerald Queen’s domestic programme

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The Corner with Garry Chittick

It’s always difficult to reinvent the wheel. Last week’s Corner, I took the easy way and republished the Racing NSW publication of their view of the ATC. Around the edges, there will be differences, but on a smaller scale, we have parallel issues.