Mitch Beer’s Kosciuszko hopeful is ready to take the next step in the TAB Highway Handicap (1200m) at Randwick on Saturday.
Sunrise Ruby has made an impressive start to her career, and made it two wins in a row with an easy 1.8 length victory at her home track of Albury last start.
It’ll be the first time racing away from home for the daughter of Casino Prince, but Beer is confident in the filly he has labelled as possibly the best horse he’s trained.
“I’ve been rapt with her,” he said.
“She had a gallop down at Wangaratta this morning on the synthetic down there and that’s as good as she’s worked.
“The horse that ran behind her (At her last start) stepped out at Corowa (Monday) and won very convincingly, pretty easy, so small signs but good signs.
“It’s a Highway, it’s a good stepping stone for horses coming out of the country, and it’s worth a very good amount of money, especially with her still being three and racing for a decent BOBS bonus as well.
“She’s got to make that step now, but I’m very confident that she can.”
Sunrise Ruby was nominated for Caulfield last Saturday, but Beer opted to keep her at home for another week due to logistical reasons.
Glen Boss will take the ride on the rising four-year-old, with the barrier draw to take place on Wednesday.
The Albury-based trainer said you go through all the trials and tribulations to try and find a horse like the daughter of Casino Prince.
“You slog through it all, the good times and the bad to try and find horses like her,” he said.
“What level she can go to is unknown, but I feel like she’s a horse that will do the majority of her racing outside of our jurisdiction.
“We haven’t had any champions or Group One horses come through, but we’ve had some pretty nice fillies that have won stakes races and she’s certainly as good as them.”
Beer ran second to It’s Me in the 2020 edition of The Kosciuszko with Redouble and has been vocal about his three-year-olds ability to contest the feature this year.
The Albury horseman hasn’t planned out a Kosciuszko tilt just yet but hopes Sunrise Ruby can put her name up in lights come Saturday.
“I think that she is potentially good enough, whether it all comes a bit quick for her, this year or not, I don’t know,” he said.
“If she can go and win on Saturday, it really escalates her up the market for a potential Kosciuszko horse.
“We saw a horse like It’s Me come through the Highway, went from country to Highway to a Kosciuszko last year.
“We’ll just take that next step to Saturday, and if she can win, or go close to winning on Saturday, then we can then sit down and make a plan.
“But she’s got to go and make that step from country to city first.”
Sunrise Ruby is currently a $51 chance with tab.com.au for The Kosciuszko.
Article from JustHorseRacing.com.au