Wellington previews: Howlett filly to put the Boot into rivals

Howlett had accepted with his soon-to-be debutante filly, Try Me, in both races, but chose ‘The Boot’ based on both prestige and prizemoney.

That said, Howlett and his filly have had to wait an extra 24-hours to roll the dice with Sunday’s Wellington Boot/Cup day held over given the sodden state of the Central West track.

Try Me is guaranteed her share of supporters in Monday’s Wellington Boot thanks to two successive trials of the highest calibre at Beaumont and Muswellbrook this month.

Her most recent hitout came on March 18 where he finished over the top of her rivals including Shenandoah River, who franked the trial form with her second in the aforementioned Starmaker.

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“Try Me is a nice horse, no doubt,’’ Howlett said.

“She doesn’t have the race experience and will be better for the run but I think she has got a good future.

“She looks like a two-year-old and she is professional. She can get a little bit hot but she does things pretty right.

“She’s had two trials and it always a query but I think we’ve done enough work with her.’’

Try Me’s prospects of seeing out a strong 1100m at her first race start were raised considerably after she landed barrier four.

“I couldn’t be happier with the draw,’’ Howlett said.

“She won’t be far off them. You only have to give her a squeeze and she could be wherever you want.’’

Should Try Me take out today’s Wellington Boot, Howlett will have his late friend and former training colleague Sam Kavanagh front of mind given his role in the filly making her way to Muswellbrook.

“I was good mates with Sam,’’ Howlett explained. “And I saw his partner Kelly at the Inglis Classic sale and she had Try Me on her list and told me to look at her, “ Howlett said.

“I went and had a look at her and I really liked her.

“She seemed very relaxed at the sale, I went and looked at her a couple of times and she was resting in the box.

“Plus she came off a great stud.’’

That’s Widden, aka the Valley of Champions, to which Howlett refers.

Ultimately a $55,000 purchase, Try Me is a dead-ringer for her sire, Written By, whose brief but spectacular career was highlighted by his win on the 2018 Group 1 MRC Blue Diamond Stakes.

Try Me is equally well-served on her dam-side.

She is the third foal of Sangiovese who won five times at 1000m and 1100m, the majority of those in town.

Her most notable performance came at the Scone stand-alone in 2016 when she finished a close fifth on the Denise’s Joy Stakes.

Try Me will be guided through her first start in the Boot on Monday by Mikayla Weir. Should horse and rider be successful, it would be Weir’s 51st winner for Howlett.

“Mikayla did her apprenticeship with me,’’ the trainer said.

“She’s a great worker and still comes and does work and helps out when she can so it is good to be able to reward her.’’

Monday’s rescheduled Wellington Boot is about to add another precocious two-year-old to its esteemed honour roll.

That said, the best horse to ever contest a Boot was in fact beaten.

That filly was Angst, who finished runner-up in the 1993 renewal behind race record-setting filly Acapulco Queen.

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WAGGA gelding Cliff House can enhance his burgeoning reputation as a ‘Country Cups horse’ and pick up eligibility for the $3 million The Big Dance at the same time if successful in Monday’s Wellington Cup.

The Central West’s annual feature was scheduled for Sunday but was held over for 24 hours so the track could recover from the heavy rain that caused multiple weekend meetings to be postponed and/or abandoned in NSW and Queensland.

No trainer was happier that Racing NSW was able to find a new day, and so soon, than Cliff House's conditioner Tim Donnelly.

“It would have definitely upset my plans working towards the Wagga Cup,” he said. “It would have meant that he missed a run so I’m glad that they’ve done this.

“It is still going to be wet but that won’t bother him at all.

“He has never missed a place on Soft ground.”

That should come as no surprise given Cliff House is a son of Starcraft whose own record on Soft was four wins and a second from his five starts.

And while Donnelly has ample reason to want to win next month’s Wagga Gold Cup, today’s Wellington Cup isn’t being treated as a barrier trial.

“Not at all,’’ the 1998 George Ryder Stakes-winning trainer said, pointing to the added incentive of a potential Big Dance berth.

“A mile at Randwick, that’s his ‘go’.”

Donnelly also sounded an ominous warning to rivals trainers hopeful of denying Cliff House a Wellington Cup to go with his Gundagai Cup from last campaign.

“I think he is actually going better now,’’ Donnelly declared.

“I was happy with him from the start of this preparation. I think he’s improved.’’

That much is clear from Cliff House's opening two runs in his build up to the Wagga Cup via today’s Wellington feature.

“I was really happy with both of them,’’ Donnelly said.

“He hadn’t run in a 1200m since he had his first start in a race and he ran very well in that with the 63(kg), it was a terrific run.

“And then the other day, it was just a bob of the head in a Listed race.’’

Originally published as Wellington previews: Howlett filly to put the Boot into rivals