The Tattersalls Tiara is shaping up to be a challenging event, and trainer Grahame Begg is hoping for a smooth week leading up to the race for his charge, Splash Back.
This imported mare is aiming for her first Group 1 victory in Saturday’s prestigious $700,000 event for fillies and mares at Eagle Farm.
Splash Back ascended to the top of the betting markets after news emerged that Dane Ripper Stakes winner She’s Got Pizzazz would not be competing, joining Group 1 star Fangirl and Stradbroke Handicap victor Spicy Martini in skipping Australia’s final Group 1 race of the season.
Begg certainly won’t be complaining about the absence of that formidable trio, with his confidence boosted by how his six-year-old mare performed when finishing sixth behind Spicy Martini in the Stradbroke Handicap on June 13.
“It surprised me that it’s fallen away a little bit in a sense – Fangirl’s gone for a break, Spicy Martini has gone for a break, they’re in the spelling paddock – but it will still be a competitive race,” Begg stated.
“She’s come through the Stradbroke really well and we’re absolutely looking forward to it.
“It’s weight-for-age, it’s over 1400 and she’s rock hard fit now.”
Splash Back has drawn barrier six for the 17-horse Tattersalls Tiara, with one emergency. Jordan Childs will be aboard her once again.
Last year’s runner-up in the race, Abounding, drew the widest gate from barrier 4, while the recent Group 3 Dark Jewel Stake (1400m) winner Tuileries drew barrier 3, and Manaal is set for gate nine.
Splash Back, a six-year-old by Le Havre, will be undertaking her fifth start of the current campaign on Saturday. Her lead-up form includes a second career Group 2 win in the Victory Stakes (1200m) on May 2.
Prior to that, she finished seventh first-up in the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes (1200m). Her Stradbroke appearance followed a ninth placing in the Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m), held four weeks after her Victory Stakes triumph.
“She came off a good layoff between runs, but we aimed the prep that way,” Begg explained.
“There was going to be a gap between Sydney and the Victory Stakes and then she had the break between the next run.
“This was the one we had in mind since last spring, the Tatt’s Tiara, a weight-for-age race for mares. It’s the race that we earmarked.”
Splash Back looks a strong contender in the Tattersalls Tiara, and you can find the latest racing odds at Australian betting sites.