There's No Stopping Melbourne's Gun Girl
Cyberhorse 01/02/03

Brilliant filly Innovation Girl will skip this month's Group One Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington despite scoring an all the way win in today's $201,000 The Debonair (1420m) at headquarters.

The brilliant daughter of Rubiton made it ten wins from 13 starts when she comfortably held her rivals in today's Group Three feature in which a so called match race between her and Sydney's rising star Thorn Park didn't eventuate.

The Bob Thomsen trained Thorn Park as usual got back near the tail of the field, but lacked his usual withering burst at the end of races and he never looked a winning chance disappointing the dreams of racegoers in Sydney.

While Thorn Park will attempt to bounce back in the Group One Guineas, Innovation Girl could be on an interstate trip to further enhance her brilliant record according to winning trainer Brian Mayfield-Smith.

Mayfield-Smith believes Innovation Girl would race too "fierce" in the early and middle stages of the Guineas, therefore ruining her chances of running to her best.

"For that reason I would be reluctant to run in that race and look at restricting her to races from 1200 to 1400 metres," Mayfield-Smith reported after the three quarter length win.

"It's certainly a race that would suit her," Mayfield-Smith reported. "I only really want to run her in races that she would be a winning chance in."

Innovation Girl, a three-year-old daughter of the former champion Cox Plate winner and now superstar Victorian sire Rubiton, jumped the $2.25 favourite in today's feature and soon found the lead from Blur and from that point kept the lead until the end of the race.

Local colt Delago Brom ($17) showed he was going to be a force in the Cadbury Guineas when he unleashed a powerful finishing burst to run a slashing second.

Tommy Hughes Jnr was suitably impressed with the performance of his son of Encosta de Lago who covered his final 600 metres in a sizzling 32.74 seconds.

"He will go straight on to the Guineas now," Hughes said. "And I'm looking forward to that race now."

Despite jumping as the extreme outsider of the field Tycoon Ruler ($51-$61) showed his top early form was no fluke by running a close up third, just a half length behind the runner-up.

Thorn Park raced toward the rear of the field throughout along with Delago Brom and Hardrada, but failed to respond to the urgings of leading Sydney rider Darren Beadman, plugging home to finish a disappointing sixth.

Disappointing efforts in the race also came from the John Hawkes trained Sydneysider Jeremiad ($8-$9) and the West Australian visitor Hardrada ($7-$8). They finished eighth and tenth respectively.

Innovation Girl, who is raced by her breeder Des Pope, enhanced her record to 10 wins and two placings from 13 starts with today's win and sent her prizemoney tally soaring to an amazing $863,900. This comes despite the filly not having even contested a Group One event!

"One day we will get into a Group One and win it," Mayfield-Smith confidently predicted.