Richard and Chantelle Jolly are laying the foundations for a long-term Melbourne presence, operating a small but growing satellite stable at Flemington.
The South Australian trainers began with six boxes earlier this year and already notched up a win with Losesomewinmore on Anzac Day. The Jollys aim to gradually increase their Victorian footprint over the next year.
“We could have had a bigger barn, but we might not have been able to fill it straight away,” said Richard Jolly. “There’s no point paying for boxes that are going to be empty.”
With Adelaide’s Carnival now complete, the Jollys have set their sights on Melbourne, sending three runners to Flemington this weekend: Aviatress in the Listed Straight Six (1200m), Pudding in a benchmark 84 (1800m), and Star Sirius in a fillies and mares benchmark 78 (1200m).
“It’s about extending the campaign for some of our better horses rather than flying them back and forth,” Jolly added. “We’ve always got horses capable of competing in Melbourne, and now we can keep them there.”
Aviatress, who won the Matrice Stakes first-up this prep, is looking to rebound from a flat effort in the Robert Sangster Stakes, where Jolly blamed an off blood count.
“Her blood count has been lifted back to what it should be and she’s working well again,” he said. “She could definitely bounce back.”
Racing fans can check out odds for Aviatress and other Jolly runners across top betting sites in Australia.