Trainer John Macmillan has maintained a strong affection for Affaire Vue from the moment he acquired her as a yearling.
Macmillan invested $100,000 in the Dundeel filly at the 2023 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, harbouring aspirations of significant race victories.
While those ambitions are yet to be fully realised, the now five-year-old mare is poised to achieve a hat-trick of wins when she competes in the Aceit Transport Solutions Handicap (1522m) at Morphettville on Saturday.
Affaire Vue commenced her winning sequence at Bordertown on September 11 and followed up with a triumph at Gawler 12 days later, marking her fourth win in 19 starts.
Macmillan indicated that the mare’s inherent ability has always been present, but it is only recently beginning to manifest.
When questioned about his belief in her capacity to secure three consecutive wins, Macmillan responded, ‘I did when I bought her’.
‘But she has been disappointing, mostly from greenness,’ he stated. ‘She has a few minor soundness issues, but I paid $100,000 for her because I liked her. She had done nothing in her work to make me regret that, but her races and her work haven’t matched each other. She’s been very, very frustrating. She’s put in more into trackwork than she has in races.’
Macmillan attributed the mare’s current success to her advancing age and increased maturity, which have finally enabled her to display her talent.
‘She’s now doing the right thing,’ Macmillan commented. ‘In her early races she would duck from one side to the other and be all over the shop and not know how to put them away. The big track at Morphettville will suit her. The only downside is the wide barrier, but we’ve got Todd Pannell on board to hopefully offset that.’
Macmillan is also set to field Ilustrious Warrior in the Spring Carnival at Morphettville Handicap (1200m) on Saturday. Similar to his stablemate, Ilustrious Warrior struggles to finish off his races effectively.
Ilustrious Warrior secured a win at Bordertown before finishing fourth in his latest start at Gawler. ‘He’s a bit like his stablemate as he’s shown more in trackwork than in his races,’ Macmillan remarked. ‘He’s still a bit green and probably should have won at Gawler, but Todd said he floated when he pulled him out and couldn’t put them away.’
The betting markets are abuzz with options for Saturday’s racing, with many punters considering the form of Affaire Vue at Australian betting sites.