His stable star may have been beaten for just the second time in her career last start, but Simon Miller couldn’t be happier with Amelia’s Jewel ahead of Saturday’s Golden Eagle at Rosehill.
Beaten 5.5 lengths as a $2.40 favourite in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) last start, Miller is confident the Group 1 winning mare is 100%, working her the Sydney way of going at Flemington on Tuesday morning.
“Her work was brilliant, really good, strong, weights good, she’s eating up again which is what she always does. I was just waiting for her to get back on her game before I increased her work again and she did,” Miller said.
Damian Lane will remain on Amelia’s Jewel this weekend, forgoing rides at Flemington to partner her, something Miller takes confidence in.
“He reverse galloped her last Tuesday… it was her first time proper reverse gallop, she got on the right lead straight away and then Saturday morning she launched onto the right lead straight away and he said “mate, she’s taken to this pretty good,” Miller said.
“He was glowing in his post-race gallop.”
Miller puts Amelia’s Jewel’s poor performance in the Toorak Handicap down to the occasion and an “off day”, something he noticed in her demeanour pre-race.
“We were tickled pink going to Caulfield, and then I got into the pre-enclosure and I thought we’re in a bit of trouble here, it’s amazing how externally they can look brilliant and internally there’s something not right,” Miller said.
Originally with a tough decision between the Golden Eagle or last Saturday’s Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m), Miller and owner Peter Walsh effectively had their decision made for them after her ninth placing in the Toorak.
“We were probably lucky we got three weeks to the Eagle… You can’t hit the Cox Plate like that… that extra week just let us idle her along so the timing was perfect,” Miller said.
Amelia’s Jewel will travel to Sydney on Wednesday night but won’t get a feel for the Rosehill track before Saturday, set to stable her with John O’Shea.
“I’m going to stay at Randwick, I’ve got to stay at my old bosses, at O’Shea’s, otherwise he’ll kill me… It’s interesting isn’t it, how will she go with it (Rosehill), I’m not sure. She’s pretty professional, she got around The Valley her first go… I think she’ll be fine,” Miller said.
Miller will bring Amelia’s Jewel back to Perth after Saturday’s Golden Eagle, for which she is the $4.50 favourite, and hasn’t completely ruled out running in The Pinnacles at Ascot in December.