Ballarat trainer Shay Keating sweating on Australasian Oaks start for promising filly Into You
Ballarat trainer Shay Keating is wondering what Chris Waller is thinking as she waits to find out whether promising filly Into You gains a start in Saturday’s $1m Australasian Oaks in Adelaide.
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Ballarat trainer Shay Keating would love to know what champion horseman Chris Waller is thinking about Saturday’s Group 1 Australasian Oaks in Adelaide.
Keating has accepted to run emerging filly Into You in the Australasian Oaks but the three-year-old was 18th in the order of entry for the $1 million event on Monday afternoon.
Keating’s problem is the Australasian Oaks features a field limit of 16 runners.
Therefore, she needs a couple of non-acceptors above her in order to get Into You into the race.
That’s where Waller comes in.
“I just had a look at the progressive acceptances and she’s number 12 of the 14 that have accepted,” Keating said.
“Chris Waller has only accepted with one, with James McDonald on it, but he did have three horses above me in the race. I’m presuming that he’s not accepting with the other two horses. I’d love to find out.
“If he doesn’t accept with his other two horses, she’ll get a run.”
Into You won twice before enjoying little luck in Group 2 races at Flemington and The Valley in her next two outings.
Keating said Into You’s Alister Clark Stakes run compared favourably to fellow fillies Quintessa and Basilianna but the race didn’t transpire as she and jockey Alana Kelly expected.
“She’s been unlucky in the Kewney and the Alister Clark,” Keating said.
“I said to Alana that I don’t want her going looking for runs at The Valley and just to get on the three-wide train but we weren’t expecting them to be six or seven across the track.
“She got onto the wrong leg coming around the corner then balanced up in the straight
“They beat her home a length and had all the runs presented to them while she did all the work.”
Keating said the soft (6) conditions beaten Into You at her last run over 2100m at Sandown while the bigger field of the Australasian Oaks could suit the No Nay Never filly.
“Rather than leaving her on the track, I thought we’d just take her to Sandown and use that as a gallop,” Keating said.
“I thought I’d go back and take an easier option at Sandown but she just floundered when Alana let her head go in the wet ground.
“I think she’s better held up and not having to do the work midrace, just being held up and go ‘ping’.”
TAB assessed Into You as a $34 chance in early Australasian Oaks betting.
Originally published as Ballarat trainer Shay Keating sweating on Australasian Oaks start for promising filly Into You
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