A wide barrier draw in the Light Fingers Stakes has convinced trainers Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou to change course and kick off Mallory’s autumn campaign in Melbourne.
The high-class filly was slated to resume in Saturday’s Group 2 fillies’ feature at Randwick but with extensive nominations, her trainers kept their options open and also accepted for the Group 3 Kevin Hayes Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.
Mallory came up with gate 17 of 18 in the Light Fingers Stakes (1200m), compared to barrier eight in the 15-horse field in Melbourne and Ryan confirmed the draw had swayed them to send her south with Brett Prebble booked for the ride.
Peter and Paul Snowden have also opted to send dual acceptor Forzanini to Melbourne for the Kevin Hayes Stakes and she is an early Light Fingers Stakes scratching.
Mallory is a first-up winner and resumed with a luckless fifth in a rough-house edition of the Silver Shadow Stakes last spring.
She underlined her quality with placings in the Furious and Tea Rose Stakes with the only blot to her copybook an unplaced run in the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m), prompting Gerald Ryan to focus on sprints this autumn.
Ryan says the daughter of Not A Single Doubt has come back bigger and stronger and while her galloping action might make her appear small in stature, she is actually an average-sized filly.
“She has grown heaps and thickened up a lot,” Ryan said.
“If you get up alongside her, she is a lot bigger than what you think. Because she lowers so much when she’s galloping, she looks small on the TV, but she is over 16 hands, so she is quite a good size.
“I’ve got my doubts about her beyond 1400 metres so we might keep her to sprints.”
Mallory has had two strong barrier trials to prepare for her return and is a $7 chance for the Kevin Hayes Stakes with Scorched Earth favourite at $3.90.