Trainers Tony and Calvin McEvoy have worked hard on trying to contain the exuberance of their talented filly English Riviera has shown on the track.
The Group 3 Scarborough Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on Friday night is the next stop for English Riviera after two solid performances to start her three-year-old year.
Tony McEvoy hopes a trip to Moonee Valley earlier in the week may just be the ticket to get English Riviera to relax on Friday night.
English Riviera showed an abundance of ability in her first campaign, finishing second on debut up the Flemington straight before running third in a Blue Diamond Prelude at Caulfield.
She went on to finish sixth in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at her only start at the trip.
English Riviera was a class above in breaking her maiden status in her return run as a three-year-old on the Ballarat synthetic before running fourth in the Listed Cap D’antibes Stakes (1100m) at Flemington on September 10.
McEvoy said the filly ran some blistering sectionals that day and if she can learn to harness some of that speed it will carry her a long way on Friday night.
“She’s a very fit filly,” McEvoy said.
“She came out of the Cap D’Antibes bouncing. She ran incredibly well.
“The sections she was running, she broke 11 (seconds) twice and run an 11.1 in the mid-stages and only got beaten a length.
“That’s hard to do down the straight at Flemington, so that gave me enough confidence that she’ll run 1200 (metres) if she can control her speed.”
The Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on October 29 is a race McEvoy won with another filly, Sunlight in 2018, and is firmly in the back of the trainer’s mind this year for English Riviera.
“She’s had two goes down the straight and run well both times,” McEvoy said.
“She’s grown, she’s strengthened, she’s a high-class filly.
“We’ve just got to get her to relax in her races, that’s the key and the more racing, we do with her, the better she will be.”