The market believes the 2020 Furious Stakes is a two horse race, but trainer Kris Lees is quietly confident that his less fancied trio can measure up well to the shorter priced fillies, Hungry Heart ($2.80) and Dame Giselle ($4.50).
Lees hits the Group 2 feature for fillies with three runners in double figures – Redoute’s Image ($21), Miss Canada ($35), and Chianti ($16) – but he believes that his gallopers can match up against the market leaders in an open crop of fillies this year.
“They are three nice fillies and are probably outside chances but there is no standout filly yet although one might come,” Lees said.
“The fillies seem to be a bit inferior to the colts at this stage so I think it’s certainly a worthwhile exercise to go to this race.
“It wouldn’t surprise me to watch any of them run really well.”
Shortest in the market is Chianti, who dropped back in grade for a confidence boosting easy kill last start, and sets up well here from barrier one.
“She has got the soft draw in barrier one off the nice confidence building win,” Lees said.
“She is two from three with a fair bit of upside so she might be our top seed but there is not a lot between the three of them.”
Watch: Dame Giselle win the Silver Shadow Stakes, with Lees’ runners Miss Canada and Redoute’s Image finishing third and fourth respectively.
Silver Shadow Stakes (G2)
1200m, 200.000 AUD, for 3yo fillies
??RandwickDame Giselle(AUS)
(3F I Am Invincible – Ballet Society, by Stravinsky)
J : Tommy Berry
T : Peter and Paul Snowden
B : @Chinahorseclub
O : @Chinahorseclub
& Go Bloodstock Australia pic.twitter.com/8DGN10xIZA— WR1 (@WorldRacing1) August 22, 2020
The other two runners – Redoute’s Image and Miss Canada – come through the Group 2 Silver Shadow Stakes, won by Dame Giselle.
“It was a really good run the other day from Redoute’s Image but it is just a shame she is drawn wide again (barrier 11) so will probably get a similar run,” Lees said.
“She will need some tempo so hopefully that transpires.
“Miss Canada probably surprised me how well she went after blowing the start in the same race.
“It was probably a blessing in some ways because she switched off rather than leading so took some benefit out of it and should acquit herself well again.”
