Three-year-old filly Avantage is being sent for a spell following two good performances in Sydney and will likely be sent back across the Tasman in spring.   

 

The Jamie Richards-trained filly won the Gr.3 Birthday Card Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill in her first run back from a break and stuck on well for third in the Gr.2 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint (1200m) last weekend at Randwick.

 

“We gave serious consideration to backing her up in Sydney on Saturday,” Richards said.

 

“We also thought about taking her to Brisbane, but ultimately we have decided to bring her home and give her a good break and get her ready for Melbourne in the spring. We do think she can be competitive in those mares races in Melbourne and she looks pretty promising to us.”

 

Avantage has won seven of her nine starts to date, including the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce (1400m) as a juvenile, in addition to the Karaka Million (1200m).

 

Meanwhile, Richards is keen to identify the right horses to take to Queensland for the Winter Carnival in the coming weeks.  

 

“We’d like to try and find a two-year-old and we will keep working through those in the next couple of weeks, but there are a few there in the balance,” Richards said. 

 

“Mongolianconqueror runs in the Easter (Gr.2, 1600m) off a light weight on Saturday and he could be set for the staying races over there. 

 

“Our Abbadean is also in the mix. I was a little bit disappointed with her in the Breeders’ Stakes (Gr.1, 1600m) but we will run her in the Travis Stakes (Gr.2, 2000m) and if she ran a lot better she could go too.”

 

 

 

New Zealand-bred galloper Order Again will aim to add another stakes victory to his tally when he contests the Listed Tails Stakes (1615m) at Doomben on Saturday.

 

The five-year-old gelding is coming off an impressive win over 1500m at Eagle Farm and has been marked as an early $3.60 favourite for the race by TAB bookmakers.

 

Trainer Brian Smith plans to use Saturday’s contest as a stepping stone to the Gr.2 Brisbane Cup (2400m) for Order Again, with the A$300,000 contest set to be run at the same venue on June 8. 

 

"I would love to win a third Brisbane Cup and I think he is up to it,” Smith said. 

 

Order Again is raced by Cam and Chas Stewart, who bred the son of Iffraaj in partnership with Goodwood Stud.