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Saturday, 27 July 2002:
The odds will be nothing fancy but when Innovation Girl steps out this
afternoon in the Group Three Dermody Stakes (1000m) at Cheltenham Park
punters should see one of the fastest juveniles in training “strutt”
her stuff. Trainer Brian Mayfield has handled this promising filly with
respect, resisting the temptation to rush her into the Golden Slipper
and the Blue Diamond Stakes.
Instead, preferring to spell her after she was beaten a short head by
Yell over 1100m at Caulfield in the Veuve Clicquot Stakes in February.
Mind you that run by
itself was an extremely good effort as she gave Yell half a kilo and
did plenty wrong, yet failed by the narrowest margin to overhaul him
in the straight.
Yell subsequently went
to Sydney and was narrowly beaten in the Todman Slipper Trial before
being 3.4 lengths behind Calaway Gal in the Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m).
Yell then went to Brisbane
and raced with distinction against Lovely Jubly.
Which ever way you
analyse it, if Mayfield-Smith had persevered with her in the Autumn,
it is clear she would not have disgraced herself.
Now she resumes fresh
from a spell, a more mature filly, so her effort today should reward
Mayfield-Smith for his patience.
At the weighs and based
on her Autumn ratings she just has too much quality for this line up.
Leading lightweight
rider Kerrin McEvoy who was aboard her in and impressive Ballarat trial
win 15 days ago will have the mount.
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