Ferivia has put herself firmly in the Thousand Guineas frame with a narrow but tough win in the Group 2 Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) at Sandown. The Phillip Stokes-trained filly was a late scratching from the Jim Moloney Stakes last week but bounced back with a perfectly timed performance on Saturday.
Starting at $11, Ferivia surged late to deny Ole Dancer ($2.80 fav) by the barest of margins, with Salty Pearl ($9) a nose away in third in a blanket finish.
Stokes said missing last week’s run may have been a blessing. “She missed a bit of work, so there’s improvement to come. By the time the Guineas is run, she’ll be spot on. I don’t think the mile will be an issue for her.”
Rider Lachlan Neindorf praised the filly’s determination in the finish. “She was tough. At the 100 metres I thought we were beaten, but she found again. She’ll run a strong mile.”