Trainer Thomas Carberry was the star of Ballarat when Strictly Business triumphed in the VRC Oaks at Flemington.
This victory a year ago was Carberry’s most significant career success, and the Ballarat-based trainer is hoping to return for the same Group 1 race over 2500m at Flemington on November 5.
Carberry has Refuse To Curtsy in preparation for the Oaks, and this filly is a half-sister to the previous year’s winner.
As part of her preparation for the Oaks, Refuse To Curtsy is entered for the Beverly Rooftop Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield on Wednesday. The filly also holds an entry in the Ethereal Stakes (2000m) this Saturday.
The weather, and crucially, the ground conditions, will be the deciding factor in where Refuse To Curtsy competes, as Carberry desires ‘sound ground’ for the filly.
“We won’t get to run off that handicap mark again if she was successful in the Ethereal, but that is probably getting ahead of ourselves,” Carberry said. “She’s in great form and has been working well.”
Refuse To Curtsy won a Kilmore 1600m maiden at her most recent start and is moving up to a benchmark 70 contest on Wednesday.
Carberry has adopted a different training regime with Refuse To Curtsy compared to the one he employed with Strictly Business last year.
Strictly Business commenced her campaign with a win in a Ballarat maiden on October 24, then contested the Wakeful Stakes eight days later before proceeding to claim the Oaks.
Refuse To Curtsy was second-up when she won at Kilmore, and Carberry’s plan is for the filly to run in the Wakeful Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 31 as a lead-up to the Oaks.
“She’s from a good staying family and she’s showing all the right signs,” Carberry stated. “She won her maiden quite nicely and after this start, I think we’d go the way of the Wakeful.”
Carberry, who usually rides much of his own horses’ trackwork, is currently sidelined with an injury but is enjoying the thrill of being a Melbourne Spring Carnival player with Strictly Business, who is also Melbourne Cup bound.
“A horse kicked me at the top of the femur and it’s a 12-week process and I’m about four weeks into it,” Carberry explained. “It absolutely fantastic to be a part of the spring and to have a couple of horses that may be a part of it, we’re all enjoying the ride.”
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