Trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott have a knack for backing up the right horse at the right time and Vangelic will bid to continue that trend when she heads to her favourite track for the $7.5 million Golden Eagle.
The four-year-old will be racing off a seven-day turnaround after finishing fifth to Icebath in The Invitation at Randwick last weekend.
The only other time she has raced a week apart was as a spring three-year-old when she followed a third in the Group 1 Flight Stakes with an unplaced effort in the Thousand Guineas.
While the ploy didn’t work on that occasion, jockey Tim Clark says the circumstances are completely different this time around.
“She is a different mare now. She was a weak three-year-old filly then and well and truly at the end of her campaign,” Clark said.
“When The Invitation was announced, and then there was the Golden Eagle, they were the two races she was targeted towards, so she’s had a different prep and different lead-up to the last time she backed up.
“From all reports she has come through the run (last week) really well and generally Gai and Adrian’s horses on the seven-day back-up, they’ve got a great record.”
Vangelic has been competitive in stakes grade throughout her career and has been racing in great heart this preparation.
She has been competitive in three of her four campaign runs, her only unplaced effort coming in the Silver Eagle two starts ago when she was lucky to stay on her feet after Triple Ace broke down in front of her.
Two of the best performances of her career have been at Rosehill, including her Group 2 Golden Pendant victory last month, and Clark believes getting back to the western Sydney track will be to her advantage.
“Importantly, her two best runs have been at Rosehill, one over the 1500 in a Coolmore (Classic) where she was unlucky and probably should have gone close to winning, and then winning the Golden Pendant,” Clark said.
“Getting back to Rosehill is a positive for her.”
Vangelic is one of four mares in Saturday’s race along with Forbidden Love, Media Award and Atishu.
Mares dominated the finish of the race 12 months ago when Colette narrowly defeated Icebath.
