John Sargent is drawing on his extensive experience training three-year-old fillies to give Global Goal the best possible shot at Group One glory this Spring.
The daughter of Pinatubo is set to run in the Group 2 Tea Rose Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday. Sargent deliberately chose to skip the Furious Stakes, the second race in the Princess Series, following an eye-catching third in the Silver Shadow Stakes on her first-up run.
After running the fastest last 200 metres behind Pembrey in the Silver Shadow, Sargent opted to trial Global Goal on Friday. He was mindful of how much racing the lightly framed filly could handle, especially as she lines up for just her third career start on Saturday.
“She seems to have done well since the Silver Shadow,” Sargent said.
“We’ve just spaced her runs and gave her a trial the other day and I’ve added side winkers as she just seems to go through a flat patch in her races.”
“It seems to have got her to concentrate better so she’ll wear those on Saturday, and the extra distance should help.”
Having won the Tea Rose Stakes with Four Moves Ahead in 2021, also for Pinecliff Racing, Sargent is keen to see Global Goal step up in trip, with the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) her ultimate goal.
Four Moves Ahead finished sixth in the Flight Stakes that year. Sargent has also gone close with Foxborough, who finished third to Funstar in 2019, and Powers Of Opal, who finished fourth to Lady Shenandoah in 2024.
While Powers Of Opal went on to finish second in both the Wakeful Stakes and VRC Oaks later in the Spring carnival, Sargent indicated that Global Goal likely wouldn’t be raced beyond a mile.
“She’s owned by the same owners as Four Moves Ahead, and she went to the Furious and then went and won the Tea Rose,” Sargent commented.
“But this filly’s probably a lighter filly than that, so she doesn’t need a lot, so I decided to miss that race and carry on to the Flight Stakes.”
“She’s probably not big and robust enough to be an Oaks horse, she’s more a 1400 to a mile type horse, I think.”
“There’s always a Thousand Guineas which is a bit later that she’s nominated for, but no, we’ll just look at those races and if she could happen to win one of those, we’d probably put her aside and look at the Autumn.”
Global Goal is currently a $4.50 chance for the Tea Rose Stakes and a $7 chance for the Flight Stakes on October 3rd. Check out betting sites for the latest racing odds.
