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Coffs Harbour preview, best bets, inside mail for Sunday, March 2, 2025

Paul Shailer’s high-priced blueblood Leica Glove has been trialling impressively and can kick off her campaign on a winning note at Coffs Harbour.

Shayne O’Cass
6 min read
March 2, 2025 - 5:30AM
Trainer Paul Shailer heads to Coffs Harbour with exciting filly Leica Glove. Picture: Grant Peters, Trackside Photography.
Trainer Paul Shailer heads to Coffs Harbour with exciting filly Leica Glove. Picture: Grant Peters, Trackside Photography.

Champion jockey Michael Rodd adds some serious star power to the Coffs Harbour meeting, donning the colours of a former superstar to ride potential future star.

Rodd, who is best known for his association with four-time Group 1 winner Atlantic Jewel, will don the famous Winx colours when he’s legged aboard Gold Coast-based trainer Paul Shailer’s glamour filly, Leica Glove.

Rodd has ridden Shailer’s New Zealand-bred blueblood at all six of her trials, dating back to June last year but not in her one and only run when down the order at the Sunshine Coast in a 1000m Maiden on September 4.

“She’s a horse that we paid a lot of money for out of the New Zealand Ready To Run Sale 18 months ago,” Shailer began.

The Form: Complete NSW Racing thoroughbred form, including video replays and all you need to know about every horse, jockey and trainer. Find a winner here!

“She has got a great pedigree and has always shown us a lot of talent.

“She has been a little bit of a work in progress, she’s done a few things wrong since getting here.

“She has been an aggressive horse which some horses can be coming from the Ready To Runs and we got it all wrong at the first prep.

“She was leading in her trials and then she went to the races and raced really fierce and just had a bad experience really.

“We tipped her out and started again this preparation and it has been all about just teaching her to relax.

“In those three latest trials, she has dropped out the back and worked home nicely.

“She gets a soft draw on Sunday with a good jockey on board so hopefully she gets the first half of the race right because if she gets the first half of the race right, she’ll get the second half right.”

Leica Glove was born and raised at the famous Haunui Stud in New Zealand in the same paddocks as past alumni like Melody Belle, Orchestral, Surfers Paradise, The Gentry, Coogee Walk and Leica Glove’s own grandam, the triple Group 1 winner, Fayreform.

Leica Glove was a much admired figure at the 2023 Ready To Run Sale of two-year-olds after recording a sizzling 10.29s in her 200m pre-sale gallop.

That work, coupled with her pedigree, saw the daughter of now boom sire Super Seth reach $525,000 after a trans-Tasman bidding war fought out by some of the biggest names in the sport.

“She was a very popular horse,” Shailer said.

“We had to fight off some pretty serious people to buy her. I think Peter Moody was on her and maybe the Hayes boys were on her. I think Go Racing were on her so some pretty good judges.”

Shailer, once the right-hand man of Chris Waller, has sent horses around in the Winx strip before, but never takes it for granted given the stature and feats of arguably the greatest racehorse of all time.

“It is an honour and a privilege to race in the Winx colours,” Shailer said.

“It’s not lost on me, that’s for sure.

“I’m a young trainer and have achieved nothing yet but some very fine people have taken a chance on me so it is my job now to repay them.

“Hopefully Leica Glove proves us right, what we think of her, and there’s a nice race for her through the winter carnival in Queensland but there is a lot of water to go under the bridge between now and then so we’ve just to keep things in check.”

SHAYNE O’CASS’ TOP SELECTIONS

BEST BET

Race 3 No. 5: Leica Glove

Blueblood resuming from one failed run in the spring. Massive talent.

NEXT BEST

Race 7 No. 5: Flyball

Put the writing on the wall first-up. Drawn well. No excuses.

VALUE BET

Race 5 No. 3: Externus

Only win was first-up, trialled well ahead of this suitable assignment.

QUADDIE

Race 4: 1, 2, 3

Race 5: 1, 3, 4

Race 6: 1, 3, 8

Race 7: 5

Michael Rodd makes a rare trip to Coffs Harbour where he has three good rides. Picture: Grant Peters - Trackside Photography
Michael Rodd makes a rare trip to Coffs Harbour where he has three good rides. Picture: Grant Peters - Trackside Photography

JOCKEY TO FOLLOW

Michael Rodd, a 34 time Group 1 winner, heads to Coffs Harbour for three and all have good chances.

INSIDE MAIL - COFFS HARBOUR

RACE 1

Jason Darren was $7.50/$10/$7.50 when he resumed in a 1250m Maiden at Newcastle on Feb 18 and ran accordingly. That is to say, he held his ground throughout to finish third. Should run 1400m. He might even like it. Miss Midas Touch was $18 into $11 when she stepped out for the first time in a 1200m Country Maiden at Port Macquarie on Feb 16. She made up plenty of ground that day so here’s one that you could feel almost sure will appreciate the extra 200m. Miami Baby was fourth (of six) at Warwick Farm first-up.

Bet: Jason Darren to win or if scratched Miss Midas Touch

RACE 2

Daulton is a horse that is getting better with each run and gives the impression that it is only a matter of time before he wins on. Mind you, he has only had half a dozen starts. His trainer Colt Prosser has done his bit to ensure that win here, with a very suitable 1000m Country only maiden assignment. That said, Daulton has a genuine obstacle to overcome in Sweet Marlene who has five placings from 11 starts and went close to beating a handy one at her first start for Cassandra Schmidt.

Bet: Daulton to win, quinella 1, 5

RACE 3

Leica Glove will be impossible to miss in the run. Just look for the one in the Winx colours. There wouldn’t be a more interesting horse racing in Australia today than this one; a $525,000 2YO in Training purchase, she’s got a huge pedigree, has trialled like a bomb and lured Michael Rodd down to ride her. Speithtacular has also accepted for Monday at Port Macquarie where Aaron Bullock is booked. Phoenix Power has the talent to figure.

Bet: Leica Glove to win

RACE 4

Floss’s One drew 22 in Saturday’s TAB Highway at Randwick so, not surprisingly, was scratched and saved for this instead. The Glen Milligan-trained mare has a rock solid record of three wins, three seconds and two thirds from her 12 starts. She was fifth at her last start and that was in the MNC Championships Qualifier. Damien Lane’s filly Singing Star’s already bright prospects of winning went up substantially after she drew barrier 3 here. Should get every chance under Michael Rodd. Boambee Beach saves his best for Coffs Harbour and circa this trip.

Bet: Floss’s One to win, exacta 1 to beat 2

RACE 5

Externus has won just once in 16 starts but has managed five placings, four of them are seconds. Worth noting that his win was first-up and it was at Gosford. In fact, he has mixed and matched it in quite a few times in better races than this one against better horses too. Nice trial the other day too. Starry Jack has claims here and also on Monday if Brett Dodson heads to Port Macquarie instead. Kris Lees’ duo Invincible Whip and Hell Of A Lad have each done more than enough to figure. We could end up losing a fair few by post time. That being the case, Launch Sequence is a ‘must include’.

Bet: Externus to win, Daily Double 1st leg (3), 2nd leg (5)

RACE 6

Monte Outlander is a locally housed gelding back home after a trip over the border where he held his ground honourably, finishing fourth of 10 in a Doomben 0-65 Handicap over the mile. He had 58.5kg that day too. Here’s why he is so likeable here; four starts for two wins and two seconds at the track One for one at the track and trip. Sherriff Cody has been very well placed throughout by his trainer Owen Glue. And kudos to the horse too, he’s won six times and placed on 11 occasions, six of them seconds.

Bet: Monte Outlander to win, quinella 1, 8

RACE 7

Flyball is trained by Stephen ‘Crusher’ Farley, aka the trainer of the great Sincero. As for Flyball, he has won just once in 24 starts with three placings but you would be hard-pressed to find many outright bad runs on his showreel. The son of Starspangledbanner was something akin to the eye-catcher when he resumed in that 1200m Class 1 on the Beaumont. extra 100m can only assist. Knot Another Kiss is a lightly-raced local who has a win and two thirds from his three Coffs Harbour runs. Had a few excuses for the ‘0’ at Port back on Jan 24.

Bet: Flyball to win

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