Four-year-old Majestic Shot is ready to win as she returns in the ATC’s Most Winning Owner Godolphin Handicap (1000m) on Saturday.
The daughter of Shooting To Win finished second in the Listed Denise’s Joy Stakes last campaign, and will face an easier task she when kicks off in Benchmark 78 company at Kemba Grange.
Majestic Shot has been freshened since her last outing, but comfortably won an 800m trial at Muswellbrook a week ago.
Her trainer Grant Allard says the mare has matured during her short stint in the paddock.
“She probably only had about four weeks, four and a half weeks out,” he said.
“She’s grown a little bit and matured a little bit.
“I didn’t give her a chance to get very fat so that’s why she’s able to return to the races quickly.
“She’s picked up where she left off at the end of her preparation before.
“She’s ticking all the boxes so far.”
Saturday will be Majestic Shot’s eighth race start, but she’s already banked more than $180,000 for connections.
Despite her impressive record, Allard thinks the best is yet to come from the four-year-old.
“I really believe we haven’t seen the best of her yet,” he said.
“I still think she’s learning how to race and what to do, because one day she leads and one day she’s coming from last.
“She doesn’t shirk a task and I think it’s all ahead of her, as long as we can keep her sound and happy and be smart about the way we move forward.”
Allard still regards his 2013 Listed Tatterstall’s Mile winner Loaded as the best horse he’s ever trained but admits Majestic Shot can move to number one if she continues to improve.
Loaded is the only Stakes winner Allard has trained during his career, but that can change during the spring.
Allard is keeping things under wraps though, taking things race-by-race with his impressive mare.
“There’s a couple of long-term targets for her to aim towards, but we’ll just take each step as it comes,” he said.
“We’ll get Saturday’s race out of the way and we’ll see what we do after that.
“We’d like to win as many races as we can on the way and if we can get to a Group race that’d be awesome.
“But we’ll let her learn the task and let her get there herself without throwing her straight in the deep end.
“We can always get there eventually, but we’ll get there the easy way hopefully and she’ll tell us if she’s ready for those kinds of races if she gets that far.”
Majestic Shot has opened as the $5.50 second favourite with the TAB.
Article from JustHorseRacing.com.au