Martini Mumma leads Matt Dale’s Royal Randwick assault as Front Page eyes off success in the Quokka

Trainer Matt Dale has his sight sets on a $5m Quokka success while watching several chances line up at Royal Randwick from afar.

Trainer Matt Dale will unleash early Kosciuszko contenders close to 4000km apart this Saturday.

Dale has two-time Kosciuszko winner Front Page chasing the $5m The Quokka at Ascot in Perth while classy grey Martini Mumma will headline his attack at Royal Randwick.

Martini Mumma ($5.50 equal favourite) returns alongside stablemate Acappella Sun ($13) in the Neville Waters Benchmark 78 Handicap (1200m).

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Martini Mumma hasn’t been seen since finishing 10th in last year’s Kosciuszko and has had a pair of jump outs in the lead-up to her first-up assignment where Dale believes she’s ready to make her presence felt.

“When she first came back in, she didn’t quite come up so we turned her back out and now we are happy with the way she has come up,” Dale said.

“We are looking forward to seeing her step out. She handles a wet track but just not a bog first-up.

“We just want her getting through the grades because she is a horse that has always shown us a lot of ability but has been a finicky product.

“I thought her run in the Kosciuszko had plenty of merit, she didn’t have a lot of room and didn’t get much of a chance to finish off.”

Dale is hoping Martini Mumma can get a second chance in the Kosciuszko later this year.

🍸 Martini Mumma makes it three wins in a row in the TAB Highway at Rosehill!@[e-mail]/ub6rE8gh6N

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 27, 2024

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The daughter of Pariah is coming to the end of her four-year-old season but is still only lightly-raced with eight starts and three wins to her name.

“She is a mare that has always had good ability but been on the immature side the whole way through,” Dale said.

“There is still plenty of racing in her but’s a matter of getting her through the grades and then hopefully another Kosciuszko attempt.”

Acappella Sun continues to race consistently and another strong showing wouldn’t surprise.

She has drawn wide in barrier 12 with Chad Schofield booked to ride.

“Acappella Sun is a tough mare that fronts up and you know what you are getting every time,” Dale said.

“Her run the other day at Hawkesbury at the metro meeting was really good.”

Dale won’t be on track to see either horse run as he chases the most lucrative victory of his career in The Quokka.

Front Page ($7) is one of three NSW raiders in Perth’s richest race alongside two-time winner Overpass ($1.95 favourite) and TJ Smith Stakes-placed Headwall ($6.50).

FRONT PAGE GOES BACK-TO-BACK IN THE KOSCIUSZKO! 📰@G1TySchilpic.twitter.com/fGGKUyJPiq

— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) October 14, 2023

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Tyler Schiller, who rode Front Page in both of his Kosciuszko victories in 2022 and 2023, has made the trip to Western Australia to pilot the eight-year-old from barrier 11.

“Everything has gone exactly to plan apart from obviously the barrier draw, which was a little bit awkward but that’s one thing out of our control,” Dale said.

“He is a free flowing on speed horse but the main thing is he’s travelled over well and acclimatised over here really well.

“We are happy with him.”

Front Page is racing as well as ever and went close to cracking it for a maiden Group 1 in The Galaxy last start.

It took boom colt Private Harry to run the son of Magnus down in the 1100m scamper.

“His rating there in The Galaxy first-up is as good as he’s ever rated really,” Dale said.

“If it wasn’t a career peak, it was close to it and an eight-year-old first-up, it was a really good effort.

“He has continued to do well since.

“He has always raced well fresh and a gap between runs so I’ve got no problems with the gap and it’s probably a benefit for him.”

Dale’s day will begin when former Godolphin galloper Massira lines up in the TAB Highway Class 3 Handicap (1000m).

Massira is in his first preparation with Dale and hasn’t finished worse than second in four starts, including finishing a close second in Highway grade back on March 1.

Originally published as Martini Mumma leads Matt Dale’s Royal Randwick assault as Front Page eyes off success in the Quokka