Trainer Mark Walker is taking considerable heart from jockey Blake Shinn’s decision to ride Geegees Mistruth in an upcoming Group 1 race at Caulfield.
Shinn partnered Geegees Mistruth in the Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) at Sandown on September 5 and will continue his association with the mare for the Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield this Sunday.
Geegees Mistruth finished fifth behind My Gladiola upon resuming at Sandown, in a race where the placings remained consistent after the field had settled.
A Group 1 winner in Adelaide to conclude her autumn campaign, Walker expressed his satisfaction with Geegees Mistruth’s return performance at Sandown.
“She ran well,” Walker said. “The first three around the corner were the first three home, but I thought she ran really well and more importantly Blake is sticking with her. That’s a positive. Her sectionals were good, so we take a lot of positives out of the run.”
My Gladiola and Extragalactic, who finished ahead of Geegees Mistruth at Sandown, will be opponents again on Saturday. Point Barrow, who finished almost three lengths adrift of the Walker-trained mare, came out to win at Caulfield last Saturday.
Geegees Mistruth has raced at Caulfield seven times, finishing in the money on four occasions.
All four of Geegees Mistruth’s placings have been at Stakes level, over distances ranging from 1000m to 1400m, including a second placing to Rey Magnerio in the Caulfield Sprint last October.
The mare’s single poor performance was when she failed to jump in the Oakleigh Plate (1100m) in February, her only Group 1 start at the track.
The mare has drawn barrier one again on Saturday, a gate she has drawn in three of her past six starts.
“She’s got a good record at Caulfield without winning,” Walker noted. “It’s, arguably, a stronger field than first-up, however the 1200 metres is going to suit her better, so we’ll have to see how she goes.”
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