Purr Along stepping up to Weatherbys Vat Services Star Stakes at Sandown
Stepping up to a Listed race right after her maiden class 5 success will be a huge risk for Purr Along, but her trainer, William Muir, believes that running the 2-year-old filly in the class 1 Weatherbys Vat Services Star Stakes is a chance worth taking.
Owned by Muir Racing Partnership – Manchester, the novice made her debut with a huge bang at Wolverhampton earlier this month. The 7-furlong Mirror Punters Club Maiden Auction Stakes saw her doing a fantastic job in the hands of Martin Dwyer.
The 16-1 chance was always prominent in the race. She chased the leading runner halfway, and subsequently led over 2f out. Although the filly suffered some mess in the final stages, she ran on well to seize the first rank by five lengths.
A comprehensive success gave Purr Along’s handler so much confidence that he quickly decided to give his charge a chance to show her abilities at the higher level. Muir said ahead of Thursday’s battle at Sandown:
"She won very nicely at Wolverhampton from a poor draw, but obviously we don't know what class she is yet as nothing has run out of that race since. Because she's not been given a handicap mark under the system we can't go for a nursery. She seems in good form so we are letting her take her chance.”
He continued: “We didn't want to drop her down to a seller. We could have waited for a novice race or wait for a conditions race but they can be as tough as Listed races."
On the other hand, Harry Dunlop is expecting Roz to continue the good work after opening her account at Kempton. The 2-year-old completed the order of finish on her debut at Salisbury, but quickly got her act together to secure a comfortable win in the Betdaq Mobile Apps/British Stallion Studs E B F Maiden Fillies' Stakes earlier this month.
The Newmarket handler explained that the filly was not comfortable on soft ground at Salisbury, but did well on Kempton’s standard track. He admitted that it will not be an easy task to win today, but hoped for a good show from his filly.
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