Jockey Jamie Melham admitted to feeling a sense of nostalgia after guiding the Adelaide-trained galloper Pretty Baby to a Stakes race victory at Sandown.
Although Melham’s career has progressed to greater achievements, she recalled partnering Louisiana to a win at Strathalbyn back in 2016.
Louisiana is the dam of Pretty Baby, who secured a commanding 3-¾ length triumph in the Listed Atlantic Jewel Stakes (1300m) at Sandown on Saturday. This win firmly establishes her as a prime contender for the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on October 17.
Priced at $5.50 in the betting, Pretty Baby defeated the $3.90 favourite Ghana’s Akan, with Portinari ($4) finishing a further half-neck back in third.
“The owners reminded me, I feel really old, as I used to ride the mum a lot,” Melham stated.
“She was a bit difficult, and this filly is the same, but she’s got a lot more talent.
“She’s something else this horse.”
Melham had paid close attention to Pretty Baby’s behaviour in Adelaide and observed that the filly often exhibited wayward tendencies during her races.
“She looked like she was doing things wrong, hanging out, hanging in back in Adelaide, and today she was a little professional,” Melham commented.
“She did everything right, I stopped the whip just because I know she has a tendency to lay in but she never gave me that feel today.
“She’s improved a lot since her last start, but she’s got a lot more improvement in her.”
Pretty Baby is under the care of trainers Gordon Richards and Damien Moyle at Morphettville.
Richards possesses considerable experience in Melbourne, having previously prepared Gytrash to win the 2020 Group 1 Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Flemington.
Another Group 1 success is on his radar, with Moyle being a more recent addition to the training partnership.
Moyle expressed that the duo holds the filly in high regard and was pleased to witness her performance in her Melbourne debut.
Pretty Baby was competing for the sixth time since May, and Moyle explained that the filly had enjoyed a three-week rest following her Listed victory at Morphettville Parks in late June.
“Her first win was 1050 (metres), and it was really a trial for her as with the weather we couldn’t get a trial into her,” Moyle said.
“We’re pretty happy with how things are going and let’s hope they keep going that way.”
Moyle indicated that Pretty Baby might contest the Group 2 Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) at Caulfield on September 19 or could be reserved for the Listed Jim Moloney Stakes over the same distance eight days later.
For those keen on the Thousand Guineas, exploring the latest racing odds at Australian betting sites could offer valuable insights.