Trainer combination Dan Clarken and Oopy MacGillivray have set their sights on the spring for their mare Mating Call, who is set to commence her season at Morphettville.
Clarken is eager to witness Mating Call compete over six furlongs once more as the mare contests the Group 3 Behemoth Stakes (1200m) this Saturday.
The mare’s sole previous outing over 1200 metres was her debut victory at Balaklava nine months prior.
Following her second start, Clarken and MacGillivray immediately travelled to Melbourne for the Group 2 Thousand Guineas Prelude, where she finished sixth. Subsequently, Mating Call secured third place in the Group 2 Edward Manifold Stakes and fifth in the Group 1 Thousand Guineas.
“I’m really interested to see her at six furlongs,” Clarken stated. “We’ve only seen her the once and that was the day she won her first start at Balaklava and the way she won was just ridiculous. She then ran really well over in Melbourne and that was her first prep. Now she’s furnished into a four-year-old mare and she look fantastic. We’re excited to see where she gets to.”
Mating Call is nominated for the Cox Plate (2000m) at Flemington in October, though Clarken indicated it was unlikely the mare would be entered for the Caulfield Cup (2400m).
“You have to do these things because you just don’t know as they can come out of left field at this time of year,” Clarken commented regarding the Cox Plate nomination. “You have to dream, but I’m not sure 2400 metres of the Caulfield Cup would be her go. She probably gets too much up on the steel, she’s not relaxed, for that sort of trip right at the moment. I’m not saying it’s never going to happen, but right at the moment it might be a stretch too far for her.”
Mating Call finished second in a recent jump-out at Murray Bridge and had a gallop between races at Morphettville last Saturday.
“She appears to have come up really well,” Clarken confirmed. “She’s had a jump-out and then she had a good gallop at Morphettville just to get her away from Murray Bridge and get a few shakes and shivers out of the way. It served its purpose. Her time on the tracker was very good. After Saturday, she’ll go over the border, that’s the idea. You have to get them going to start with, this is in our backyard and a good starting point for her, and then we can work out where to go from there.”
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