Gary Portelli’s week ended on a positive note at Rosehill as Queen Of Clubs produced a strong win, giving the trainer a much-needed lift after his stable star Kimochi was retired due to injury just a day earlier.
Kimochi had been set to run in Saturday’s Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m), but a tendon injury ruled her out of the race and ended her racing career.
“It has been a pretty hard twenty-four hours after finding out Kimochi had bowed her tendon yesterday,” Portelli said.
“She will be retired. It’s a pretty decent tear and she is a more valuable broodmare now.”
While Portelli was understandably disappointed, he was able to take solace in Queen Of Clubs’ breakout performance in the Chandon Handicap (1400m), where the two-year-old showed she may be a future stakes filly.
“We will probably stop and work out a program that will see her in all the big fillies’ races,” Portelli said.
“One door closes and another one opens, and I’ve been saying all along this is my next big thing. Today showed we are heading in the right direction.”
Queen Of Clubs, ridden by Andrew Calder, defied her $31 starting price with a barnstorming finish to win by 1-1/4 lengths over Regulated Affair ($4.40), with Gemologist ($21) a close third.
“We haven’t stopped backing her since the odds came out, so it has been a good result for everyone,” Portelli said.
Calder, a former New Zealand jockey with seven Group 1 wins to his name, was thrilled to ride his first city winner of the season and praised the filly’s potential.
“She is very progressive and has a great, big stride on her,” Calder said.
“At the 200 metres, I thought she was just going to get there but then at the 100 metres she really lengthened nicely.
“She is going to make a nice three-year-old filly, that’s for sure.”
Favourite Namaste ($4) faded late after setting the pace and finished seventh.
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