Up-and-coming filly Ciaron’s Star has boosted her prospects for the Golden Slipper by claiming a battling win in Randwick’s Pierro Plate (1100m), although the camp is holding off on firm plans for the $5 million juvenile until she backs up the run.
Ridden aggressively close to the front by Tommy Berry, Ciaron’s Star ($5.50) hit the line best to score three-quarters of a length ahead of Better By Far ($5.50), with Persian Wonder ($14) back another 1-1/4 lengths in third.
Jo Gerard-Dubord, supporting trainer Ciaron Maher, explained how the result grants access to a vital Slipper forerunner, where a carbon-copy turn would near-enough lock in her berth in the premier two-year-old race worldwide.
“You’ve got a Sweet Embrace in two weeks, a Reisling in three weeks, so we will probably look at one or the other and decide from there,” Gerard-Dubord said.
“She is very straightforward. Mentally, very mature. She was very good first-up, naturally she improved from that. She will just keep improving.”
The trainer Maher oversees Magic Millions Classic winner Unit Five plus runner-up Tornado Valley, valuable yardsticks for this preparation’s juveniles.
In Gerard-Dubord’s view, the stable’s frontrunners are evenly poised, comprising a strong and competitive set of youngsters.
“We have got a very good group of two-year-olds this year,” he said.
“I wouldn’t say there is a standout. The two Magic Millions boys, (stakes placegetter) Spicy Miss, and we’ve got a couple more coming out in the next couple of weeks.”
Delays marked the beginning of the Pierro Plate with Caloocan Beauty reshod behind barriers before declining to load and getting scratched late.
Ciaron’s Star remained unruffled by the setback, breaking well to sit on the speed, an aspect Berry highlighted as game-changing.
“That’s how these two-year-old races are usually won. They’re won at the start and she executed herself well,” Berry said.
“Today was all about getting the win to get her close to a Slipper, and she’s got to keep improving the way she has, but she’s heading in the right direction.”
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The post Maher filly Stars to win the Pierro Plate first appeared on Just Horse Racing.