Innovation Girl to mix it with the heavyweights
Sydney Morning Herald 03/02/03

Trainer Brian Mayfield-Smith has decided to throw star filly Innovation Girl in at the deep end against Northerly and Fields Of Omagh in the group one weight-for-age C. F. Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.

It will be the first test in open company for the three-year-old, who took her record to 10 wins from 13 starts in the Debonair (1420m) at Flemington last Saturday.

After Saturday's win, Mayfield-Smith ruled out the group one Cadbury Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on February 15 because he did not think the 1600 metres was suitable for Innovation Girl at this stage.

He said yesterday that the owners were keen to get a group one win with her and with two runs this time in, she would have a fitness edge on both Northerly and Fields Of Omagh, who will be resuming.

"If she races like she did (last Saturday), it will be all but impossible for the others to run her down," Mayfield-Smith said.

Innovation Girl will carry 51.5 kilograms in the Orr, compared with 58 for Northerly and Fields Of Omagh, and with regular jockey Nash Rawiller unable to make the weight, Mayfield-Smith is considering Stephen Baster or Luke Currie.

Any doubts that Northerly was not primed for his return to racing were dispelled by a trial win in Perth last Saturday that even took trainer Fred Kersley by surprise.

Kersley can be a master of understatement where his champion is concerned but he admitted that Northerly went "a little better" than he expected in a 1400-metre gallop with three other horses between races at Ascot.

"They were fairly ordinary, so he should have done what he did," Kersley said, adding that the time was fairly impressive.

Northerly ran the first 800 metres in 48 seconds and came home the final 600 in a tick over 35, which is a handy gallop by any standards.

Kersley confirmed that Northerly would be entered today for the $301,000 Orr Stakes and would be on a direct flight to Melbourne tomorrow.

His own plans are not quite so definite as he and his wife Judith monitor the condition of apprentice Michael Molloy, who is in a critical but stable condition after receiving head injuries in a trackwork fall at Kersley's property last Thursday.

"It's a been a worrying time for us all and we're just hoping he can start to make some improvement over the next few days," Kersley said.

Patrick Payne, who won the Cox Plate on Northerly at his last start on October 26, will again have the mount.

With Fields Of Omagh, probably the most improved horse in Melbourne during the spring, also contesting the Orr, the Melbourne Racing Club is living up to its promise to deliver classic wfa racing.

Fields Of Omagh, who has not raced since finishing fifth in the Cox Plate, is again set on a collision course with Northerly during the autumn, which is why his connections are now considering an option to bypass the Australian Cup in favour of a race in Singapore.

The five-year-old has been invited to run in the $1 million Singapore Gold Cup (1800m) on March 7, three days before the $1.2 million group one Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington.

The race has the added advantage of being a guide to how Fields Of Omagh might fare in the Singapore International (2000m) in May, part of the World Series, which is also on his agenda.

Meanwhile, Fields Of Omagh will meet Northerly again in the group two wfa St George Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield on February 22.

Mayfield-Smith said that depending how she fared on Saturday, Innovation Girl is likely to run in the group one Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on March 1.