Story by Brad Waters on Racenet.com.au
Ballarat trainer Dan O’Sullivan has a nervous wait ahead of him before he finds out whether pre-post favourite Affair To Remember will get a start in Saturday’s Group I Schweppes Oaks at Morphettville.
TAB has Affair To Remember as a $5 chance in its latest Schweppes Oaks market but the filly is 19th in the order of entry for the $400,000 race.
The Schweppes Oaks features a field limit of 16 fillies so O’Sullivan needs a few stables to decide against a trip to Adelaide for his charge to secure a start.
O’Sullivan will learn whether Affair To Remember has a start in the race on Tuesday.
“It’s a bit of tricky one. I just don’t know until tomorrow,” O’Sullivan said.
“I haven’t heard of anyone not going over and the only one I saw was Henry Dwyer’s horse (La Falaise) was nominated for Sandown as well.”
Affair To Remember was a touch unlucky when beaten into third placing in the VOBIS Sires’ Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on April 18.
Winning that race might have got the daughter of Toronado the ratings boost she needed to get up the Schweppes Oaks order of entry.
“She only had a rating of 69 going into that race so it was crucial she won that day,” O’Sullivan said.
O’Sullivan said Affair To Remember has ticked over well and will be ready for her first go at 2000m if she gets a crack at the Schweppes Oaks.
“I’ve just been preparing her as normal. She had a good gallop at Balla rat on Saturday and she’ll have another one on Tuesday morning,” O’Sullivan said.
“She’s going really well.”
O’Sullivan has entered Affair To Remember for a race at Sandown on Saturday but he’s likely to send the filly to South Australia to compete in the Group II Queen Of The South Stakes if she doesn’t make the Schweppes Oaks field.
“I think there’s only 16 noms in the Queen Of The South so that’s probably the logical way to go,” O’Sullivan said.
“If she’s am emergency in the Oaks, it gives me a chance to accept in that race and if something turns up and she gets a run, she’ll already be over there.”
John will ride Affair To Remember if she runs in the Schweppes Oaks.
