Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman to test Percy Sykes Stakes hope Eneeza in Pakenham gallop

A Pakenham gallop on Tuesday will decide whether brave filly Eneeza will return to Sydney for another rich assignment at Randwick on Saturday.

Eneeza could face another tough test in Saturday’s Group 2 Percy Sykes Stakes at Randwick. Picture: Racing Photos via Getty Images.

Trainers Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman won’t have any trouble working out whether Eneeza can take in another run in a tough two-year-old campaign on Tuesday morning.

Eneeza has only won one race, the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes at Caulfield in December, but the filly has been competitive in Australia’s biggest two-year-old races in her last two starts.

Eneeza finished fourth in the Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield before producing a game effort from a wide draw when beaten less than three lengths in the Golden Slipper.

“She’s had a huge preparation,” Coleman said.

“She’s run enormous every time she has been to the races so we’ve been really proud of her.”

The Exceed And Excel filly will gallop at Pakenham on Tuesday before Moody and Coleman decide whether to send her back to Sydney for Saturday’s $1m Percy Sykes Stakes (1200m) at Randwick.

The filly beats the boys!! 😮

LADY OF CAMELOT and @blake_shinn see off COLEMAN and STORM BOY to win the G1 Golden Slipper (1200m), the world's richest race for two-year-olds! 👸🏼

It's an eighth Golden Slipper for @GaiWaterhouse1! 🔥pic.twitter.com/XUG2B0NBZD

— World Horse Racing (@WHR) March 23, 2024

Coleman, who became a Group 1-winning trainer when Chain Of Lightning won last Saturday’s TJ Smith Stakes, said Eneeza was the type of filly that gave many outward signs of her condition.

“If she shows all the signs that we look for like she’s eating well, bouncing around and happy within herself, she’ll go to Sydney,” Coleman said.

Eneeza before the Chairman's Stakes.

“She’s quite a lively little filly so she’s an easy one to get an indication of how she is.”

Eneeza is the third favourite in TAB’s ‘all-in’ market on the Percy Sykes Stakes.

Golden Slipper winner Lady Of Camelot is the $2.30 favourite after her trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott decided to target the race following her withdrawal from last Saturday’s Group 1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes.

Coleman said the stable would weigh up the likely opposition before cementing their plans.

“There were a few of the dangers that were going to run in the Sires but they were taken out because of the weather,” she said.

“We’ll just take that into consideration.”

CAULFIELD CUP FOR SHOCK ‘EM OVA?

The time has arrived for Cranbourne trainer Alex Rae to test emerging stayer Shock ‘Em Ova as a spring contender.

Rae has been patient with Shock ‘Em Ova, giving the rising six-year-old only nine starts in a career that has reaped four wins and more than $320,000 in prizemoney.

But Rae has decided to give Shock ‘Em Ova a crack at one, possibly two, stakes races interstate in an attempt to boost handicap rating in time for the spring.

Shock ‘Em Ova could find himself in a Caulfield Cup if Rae’s plan comes off.

“We just need to get his rating up and once we’re satisfied where that is, we’ll just continue to look after him and try and work back from the better races in the spring,” Rae said.

Shock 'Em Ova from last! 🔥@[e-mail]/2LiyQNL8Jh

— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) September 23, 2023

Rae said races such as the Listed Heatherlie Handicap and Group 3 Naturalism Stakes, which offers a Caulfield Cup ballot exemption to the winner, were possible targets for the gelding.

Shock ‘Em Ova was rated 81 before his close third in the $750,000 Rosehill Cup last November, which should produce a higher rating for his return to racing next month.

Rae has selected Shock ‘Em Ova’s return race in Melbourne and mapped out a winter program that could include races in Sydney and Brisbane.

“He’ll have two runs in Melbourne on the 11th of May and the first of June then he’ll head up to Sydney and potentially Queensland after that,” Rae said.

“There’s a Listed race at Rosehill on the 22nd of June, the McKell Cup.

“If he won that, we’ll probably put him out after that but if he got beaten in that, we might head to the Caloundra Cup then give him a couple of weeks off up there.

“We’d probably bring him back after that for a traditional Heatherlie (Handicap) and Naturalism (Stakes) path.

“Everything we’ve done for the last 12 months has revolved around the coming spring.

Originally published as Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman to test Percy Sykes Stakes hope Eneeza in Pakenham gallop