Improving mare I Am Me maintains unbeaten start to campaign with success in Group 2 The Shorts at Randwick

It was deja vu at Randwick as tough mare I Am Me followed her Concorde Stakes win with a replica performance to take out the Group 2 The Shorts and press her Everest claims.

I Am Me (right) holds out Stefi Magnetica to win the Group 2 The Shorts at Randwick. Picture: Getty Images

I Am Me enhanced her growing reputation, Stefi Magnetica had the flashing light run and Private Eye was doing his best work late again.

That was the tale of the tape of the latest The Everest audition after the Ciaron Maher-trained I Am Me showed tremendous speed and toughness to win the Group 2 $1 million The Shorts (1100m) at Royal Randwick.

With just three The Everest slots filled less than a month out from the race, contenders needed to make their presence felt on Saturday in one of the final lead up races to the feature.

I Am Me and Stefi Magnetica flourished, Private Eye and stablemate Mazu got pass marks while the jury is out for Lady Of Camelot and Aft Cabin.

I Am Me had to withstand a late challenge from a flying Stefi Magnetica but star jockey James McDonald never felt in danger as the I Am Invincible mare maintained her unbeaten start to the spring.

“She always felt in control of the race,” McDonald said.

“Even a furlong from home I thought I was still going to in even through they were so close.

“She was just doing enough, enough, enough. She has got a bit up her sleeve and she won the first two leads up to the great race so she is ticking a lot of boxes.”

McDonald finished the card with a flurry with three consecutive feature victories on Autumn Glow (Tea Rose Stakes), Fangirl (7 Stakes) and I Am Me before completing the quaddie with a win on Moravia in the last.

He used a favourable draw in barrier two to have I Am Me travelling comfortably on the fence as Way To The Stars ensured there was a genuine tempo.

As the pacesetter folded up quickly midway down the straight, I Am Me ($2.60 fav) came off his back and produced a sustained effort to beat a flying Bjorn Baker-trained Stefi Magnetica ($9) while Joe Pride’s Mazu ($13) was half a length away in third.

It was a carbon copy of I Am Me’s victory last start in the Concorde Stakes when Nash Rawiller was aboard.

“That’s what James said before the race. Just copy and paste, and that’s exactly what he did,” Maher’s Sydney based assistant trainer Johann Gerard-Dubord said.

“To do it first-up, obviously, is one thing, but to repeat it two weeks later like that is a good effort.

The G2 Shorts at Randwick goes to I Am Me, who puts her name forward for an Everest slot! 🙌@mcacajamez | @cmaherracingpic.twitter.com/nw1CGrTI0u

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) September 21, 2024

“Especially after a hard run like that, two weeks back-up, there’s always a bit of a question mark, but she’s come back better.“

I Am Me had edged out gun stablemate Bella Nipotina when she took out the Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1000m) a fortnight ago at Royal Randwick.

Bella Nipotina has since been snapped up by TAB for their slot in The Everest while I Am Me was $18 into $15 for the richest race on turf.

The Maher stable will mull over running I Am Me again in two weeks’ time in the Group 2 Premier Stakes (1200m), a fortnight out from The Everest.

“I think we’ll just have to see how she comes through that first,” Gerard-Dubord said.

“Doing it every second week, it’s never easy. There is a four week gap to The Everest, which could be ideal. We’ll just have to see how she comes through that first.“

“She will tell us, but she’s done a perfect job so far.”

Stefi Magnetica didn’t have a runner behind him at the 600m mark before apprentice Zac Lloyd stole runs closer to the inside and launched late.

The Stradbroke Handicap winner only just ran out of time to gun down the winner.

“She proved a couple of doubters wrong there,” Lloyd said.

“She has gone half a stride from winning from the back. 1100m which wasn’t suitable for her.”

Private Eye, a two-time The Everest placegetter, got back from a wide draw and worked home strongly from the back but never looked likely of challenging for the win.

“He ran on really well again. He just couldn’t travel in the middle parts,” jockey Jay Ford added.

Originally published as Improving mare I Am Me maintains unbeaten start to campaign with success in Group 2 The Shorts at Randwick