Trips up and down the Hume Highway between Melbourne and Sydney does not seem to faze the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and Adrian Bott-trained Lady Of Camelot.
The Golden Slipper winner has been doing it throughout her brief racing career as she is about to embark on her third start in Melbourne and first at Flemington when she runs in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) on Saturday.
Lady Of Camelot started her career in Sydney, headed south to run second in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield before returning to Sydney to claim Golden Slipper honours during her two-year-old days.
After doing her the early work for her current campaign in Sydney, Lady Of Camelot stepped out for her first-up run in the Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley in September, before returning to Sydney to prepare for The Everest at Randwick.
Finishing seventh in the Group 2 The Shorts at Randwick, Lady Of Camelot went on to finish 1-½ lengths from the winner Bella Nipotina when fourth in The Everest at her most recent start.
Back on the float, Lady Of Camelot has returned to the Flemington stables of Waterhouse and Bott to prepare for Saturday’s contest.
“She’s tough, she’s been up and back before,” Waterhouse said.
“The trip is gruelling. They don’t stop anymore, they go straight through.
“You try driving without stopping and then try and perform the next day, it’s hard on the horses.”
Lady Of Camelot will be aiming to become the seventh filly to capture the Coolmore Stud Stakes since the race was granted Group 1 status in 2006.
The Coolmore Stud Stakes is considered a stallion making race, but it also takes a special filly to win, with the past three being Sunlight (2018), September Run (2020) and In Secret (2022).
Waterhouse says Lady Of Camelot will run a ‘terrific’ race.
“She beat the boys in the Slipper,” Waterhouse said.
“She ran a very good race in the Moir at The Valley, where Zac Lloyd jumped and the other horse that jumped (Mornington Glory) won the race, but she got a bump on the corner and that upset her.
“She went back to Sydney to run in The Everest and ran a very good race there.”