Racing
Snow In May bidding for spring flurry
Landing a Group win is the next goal for talented mare Snow In May.
As a Group One placegetter and Listed winner, Snow In May is already a valuable broodmare proposition.
However, trainers John O'Shea and Tom Charlton are hoping she can double down by adding a Group success to her resume in the Golden Pendant (1400m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
"She is Group One placed as an early three-year-old and a Listed winner so this is the next box we're trying to tick," Charlton said.
"If she gets a few things go her way there is no reason she can't be a top three chance at least."
Bookmakers have marked Snow In May at $9.50 in early markets and she arrives at the race second-up after doing her best work late when third in the Mona Lisa Stakes (1350m) at Wyong earlier this month.
Charlton said they did consider going to last week's Tibbie Stakes (1400m) at Newcastle but felt the mare would be better suited by a bigger break between runs.
"Wyong was one of those races where there were quite a few hard luck stories of which she was one of them but it was an excellent return," he said.
"Rather than go to the Tibbie, we thought she'd be better three weeks between runs and kept fresh. Off that set-up, it should be a good scenario for her."
O'Shea and Charlton will have six runners at Rosehill, four of them in feature races with Queensland Derby winner Maison Louis and Strait Acer to contest the Group 2 Shannon Stakes (1500m), while consistent mare Good Banter will take her place in the Group 3 Colin Stephen Quality (2400m).
A Rosehill winner over 2000m in July, Good Banter has placed at her two subsequent runs, although her three wins have been on rain-affected tracks.
"She has been racing really well. She gets her favoured trip and looks to have found a slightly weaker Group Three at this stage of the preparation," Charlton said.
"The one thing we'd love is a wet track. She doesn't not handle a good track but she excels in wetter conditions where others don't. But that's nothing we can control and she will take her place this weekend."
Charlton said Good Banter benefitted from having her runs spaced and was unlikely to back-up in next weekend's Metropolitan (2400m) regardless of the result at Rosehill.
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