Trainer Cliff Brown registered an important breakthrough win with Fantasising at Sandown and is looking ahead to landing another at Moonee Valley.
Brown will saddle Threeandfourpence in the Ladbroke It! Handicap (1600m) on Saturday as the former Irish and Singapore raced galloper attempts to break his maiden status in Australia.
Stablemate Kwoi Hoi, a last start dead-heat winner at Moonee Valley on December 31, is an acceptor in the Ladbrokes Mates Mode Handicap (2040m), but Brown said that gelding was unlikely to start.
Threeandfourpence finished seventh behind Kwoi Hoi and Real Sensation in that Moonee Valley race when Craig Williams rode for luck after snagging back from an outside draw.
With Williams having a freshen up before the Autumn Carnival kicks into gear, Jamie Kah has the ride.
“The Kwoi Hoi race is too strong, but Threeandfourpence is going,” Brown said.
“He was unlucky the other day, but in saying that where was he going to finish, that’s the question. We tried to ride him for luck, but unfortunately, he didn’t have any.
“He’s trained on well and he has a good draw this time, although it is a big field.”
Both Threeandfourpence and Kwoi Hoi carry the colours of Fantasising who broke through for her maiden win when successful in the Tile Importer Handicap (2400m) at Sandown on Wednesday.
Brown said the victory was an important one for the mare’s owners, Imperial Racing Stable, with Fantasising coming from a good UK family.
Fantasising was having her seventh start on Wednesday, her third for Brown, having finished second four times in the UK before coming to Australia.
Brown said he had watched a relation to Fantasising win in France one night which sparked an interest in the mare.
“It was important for her to get a city win as she’s got a great pedigree,” Brown said.
“The sister to her has had a yearling (by Frankel) sell for 1.9 million pounds since we bought Fantasising, and horses have come out of the family and performed, which they were always going to.
“To win a race in town, it’s tremendous.”