Stable chasing 2YO stakes double

3 min read

Written by Paul Vettise

A plan to get black type with Absolute Flirt (Stratum) was perfectly executed at Morphettville and the stable is hoping to do likewise with another in-form 2-year-old next weekend.

The chestnut was a comfortable winner of the Listed Queen Adelaide S. and trainer Danny O’Brien also enjoyed success at Flemington with Moldova (Snitzel), whose victory in the Jack Styring Plate has her on a path to higher honours.

“She laid in down the straight so to still get the job done was an effort full of merit,” assistant trainer Ben Gleeson said.

“It’s just greenness and she’s pulled up a treat. The plan with her is to progress to a stakes race at Caulfield next Saturday, she’s a big and robust filly.”

“The plan with her is to progress to a stakes race at Caulfield next Saturday, she’s a big and robust filly.” – Ben Gleeson.

Moldova wins the Jack Styring Plate

The Listed Redoute’s Choice S. is the target race for Moldova, who remains unbeaten with her Flemington win coming off the back of a successful debut outing at Bendigo. She is raced by breeder Tony Santic under his Makybe Racing and Breeding banner.

She is out of a half-sister to the Group winning siblings Savvy Nature (NZ) (Savabeel) and Addictive Nature from the family of the G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas winner Hasahalo (NZ) (Savabeel).

Moldova pictured as a yearling

A $100,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchase, Absolute Flirt returned home on Sunday after her hit and run trip to South Australia.

“We gave her that first-up run, which she won, and we were very keen to get to Adelaide,” Gleeson said.

Absolute Flirt pictured as a yearling

“We gave her that first-up run, which she won, and we were very keen to get to Adelaide.” - Ben Gleeson.

Absolute Flirt is a daughter of Bisutti (Northern Meteor), a three-quarter sister to the Group 1 winning 2-year-old Choice Bro (Choisir).

“I don’t think we’ll be in any great rush with her,” Gleeson said. “We’ll see how she does, but she could go up to Queensland.”

The stable has at least three other representatives confirmed for the travelling party to the winter carnival and headed by Iconoclasm (Toorak Toff).

“The plan with him is the Stradbroke and he’ll have a couple of lead-up runs.” - Ben Gleeson.

He won seven races for the now disqualified Darren Weir and claimed an open handicap at Caulfield last month in his first appearance for O’Brien.

“The plan with him is the Stradbroke and he’ll have a couple of lead-up runs,” Gleeson said. “We’d like to get him in with a light weight.”

Iconoclasm

Listed winner Vow And Declare (Declaration Of War {USA}) was a sound third when resuming last time out.

“He’s a progressive 3-year-old and hopefully his form holds up and he’ll get through to the Queensland Derby,” Gleeson said. “Addictive Nature will also be going.”

The stable will be represented in this Saturday’s G1 South Australian Derby by Grinzinger Star (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}) and, depending on his performance, he could also be in line for Queensland.