HIGH-class filly Srikandi took her record to five wins from six starts when she scored an impressive win in the listed $100,000 Juanmo Stakes at Doomben on Saturday.
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The Ciaron Maher-trained three-year-old might have her next start in the group 2 $350,000 Queensland Guineas on May 31 or the group 1 $1 million Stradbroke Handicap on June 7.
But Maher, who has stables at Caulfield and Winslow, may also choose to run her in both.
“I’ve got to do a fair bit of thinking as to what path I go down with Srikanda,” he said.
“She’s flying at this stage. I’m not sure whether we’ll take her to the Guineas or the Stradbroke. We might go to both races. She’s an exciting filly. She’s just kept on improving at each run. I’ve got no doubt she’ll run out a strong 1400 metres.
“The Guineas looks an ideal race but on the other hand she’ll get in well on the weights in the Stradbroke”
Mr O’Ceirin — trained by Maher — ran seventh in the group one $500,000 Doomben Cup on Saturday but the trainer said he was not disappointed by the effort.
“I think the track was just too dry for him,” Maher said.
“I reckon he’s a better horse when there is a bit of give in the track. He got buffered around about the 150-metre mark but he was not going to win at that stage.”
Warrnambool Cup winner Akzar, trained at Darren Weir’s Warrnambool satellite stable, ran an unlucky fourth in the Doomben Cup.
Akzar will now stay in Queensland while preparing for the Brisbane Cup.
Meanwhile, Aaron Purcell’s decision to forget St Jean’s inglorious run in the Warrnambool Cup paid dividends when the imported stayer won an $80,000 restricted race at Caulfield on Saturday.
St Jean ran last, nearly 60 lengths behind Akzar in the $200,000 Warrnambool Cup, but the lightly-raced four-year-old changed his fortunes around on Saturday, defeating Freshwater Storm and Bec Said No Credit in the 2000-metre race.