Ipswich claims the main attention for Queensland holiday racing, as trainer Bryan Dais looks for Cool Music to elevate and demonstrate the capabilities he expects from her henceforth.
Despite 60 kilos in benchmark 58, the five-year-old mare Cool Music is positioned to exploit the grade drop from midweek to provincial in Monday’s Barrier Reef Pools Fillies and Mares Handicap (1350m) at Ipswich.
She started her campaign with a Warwick win then second at Ipswich same distance March 14.
Fourth over 1600m at Eagle Farm March 25, defeated by under one length, inspires Dais’s confidence from stall 11.
"I saw the original barrier and didn’t worry too much about the rest of the field," Dais said.
"She jumped from the outside barrier here two starts ago and ran enormously.
"I think we ran the fastest 1000, 800 and 400 sectionals of the race."I took her to Warwick and that was mainly because of where her rating was at, and the perfect race to kick off her preparation."
After April 2025 Ipswich placing, a stable accident benching Cool Music for six-plus months ensued.
"She came back and was going ok but not where I thought she should be," Dais added.
"She then pulled a muscle and needed an extended spell but this time being back in work, I think she has come back to where she was as a three-year-old.
"At her fifth start at that age, she was already racing against open company at Eagle Farm."
The race thinned by eight scratches has Cool Music at $6.50 with Our Jewel, from David Vandyke’s stable, the $3.40 top pick.
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