Trainers banking on filly to deliver Christmas cheer at Doomben

GARRARD is out to bring some Christmas cheer to what has been a frustrating week for trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young when she runs at Doomben.

SPEEDY filly Garrard is out to bring some Christmas cheer to what has been a frustrating week for trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young when she runs at Doomben on Saturday.

Garrard, a $120,000 daughter of Golden Slipper winner Sepoy, needs a win on Saturday to give her the chance of qualifying for next month’s $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic.

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Garrard was strongly fancied to win the Clockwise MM race at Ballarat last month but was scratched at the barriers, meaning she didn’t debut until her fighting second to the touted Catchy at Moonee Valley on December 9.

“I’ve got no dramas with her going the clockwise way. She’s trialled up twice that way and handled it well,” Busuttin said.

“If she can’t win this race, she’s not good enough to contest a Magic Millions,” Busuttin said.

“I think she’s definitely improved off her debut run. Probably 1100-1200m would be more ideal at this stage, but drawing barrier one is a big help.”

Busuttin had been hoping to run imported stayer Lord Lumberjack at Eagle Farm next Saturday in a bid to earn a wildcard into the rich Magic Millions day, but missed Thursday’s early nomination deadline.

“It’s very disappointing,” he said. “At the end of the day, the buck stops with me and I have to take responsibility, but I do believe there was a lack of common sense from officials up there.

“I may sound like a whingeing trainer and it was my stuff up, but why did the nominations for that meeting close so much earlier than every other meeting around Australia?

“As it was, we were a couple of hours late. They tell me rules are rules, but surely there should be some flexibility in circumstances like this.”

The nomination mix up was followed by fancied stable runner Rising Red going down narrowly at Sale on Thursday, having bolted before the start.

Stable star Tavago has been back in work for the past six weeks after his spring campaign ended prematurely.

“He was obviously a sick horse in the spring. He got a virus

Changing face of Doomben 10,000

RACING Queensland has stripped the Doomben 10,000 of its status as Australia’s lone 1350m Group 1 race and reduced it to 1200m to open the first of five Brisbane Racing Club carnival days on May 13 next year.

Effectively, the 10,000 morphs into the BTC Cup, which has been switched to the third day of the carnival on May 27 over 1300m at Eagle Farm.

Originally published as Trainers banking on filly to deliver Christmas cheer at Doomben