Shalaa’s Moment should be finishing like a shot out of a gun on Saturday as she gets her moment for redemption in Stakes grade in the Bribie Handicap at Eagle Farm.

Shalaa’s Moment has been unplaced in two attempts in Stakes grade but trainer Matt Hoysted says a deep dive into those runs reveals the dynamic sprinting mare had been desperately unlucky.

She gets a chance for redemption on Saturday in the Listed Bribie Handicap (1000m) at Eagle Farm where a frenetic tempo should be right in her sweet spot.

Shalaa’s Moment returned from a break in fabulous style when sweeping home to score in the Swiss Ace Plate (1000m) on a heavy Sunshine Coast track which her trainer believes didn’t really suit her.

Hoysted is convinced the five-year-old mare – which has won half of her 14 career starts – is well and truly up to becoming a Stakes winner on Saturday.

“I am convinced she should have won the Lightning Handicap earlier this year, she ran fourth but I think she was a good thing beaten,” Hoysted said.

“Then in her next run in the Healy Stakes, she drew poorly in the outside barrier and went back and then had to go right around them in a race that was dominated from the front.

“On paper, it probably looks as if she has failed in those two times in better grade, but if you actually look deeper, both runs were really, really good.

“A fast run 1000m on the big Eagle Farm track on Saturday will be right in her sweet spot.

“It’s the right recipe for her.

“She was never really at home on that wet track on the Sunshine Coast.

“She is definitely a mare who is much better on top of the ground, so with the Brisbane forecast still looking OK and racing at Eagle Farm, we are going to see more improvement in her.

“She has got a really, really sharp turn of foot.”

Meanwhile, Hoysted may have discovered a future stable star with three-year-old filly Break Free which made it two wins from two starts at Grafton on Sunday.

Break Free had been entered in two other races – including last Saturday’s Listed Mode Plate at Doomben – but Hoysted wanted to build her confidence with another win in lesser grade.

It was job done as $1.10 favourite over 1100m at Grafton on Sunday and now Hoysted is potentially eyeing off the $300,000 Group 3 Vo Rogue Plate (1300m) at Eagle Farm on December 28.

“She is a filly that we have got a really high opinion of,” Hoysted said.

“We gave her a good experience and another confidence boosting win at Grafton.

“Next start, we will aim higher.

“It will probably be the Vo Rogue Plate, this filly never really got out of second gear on Sunday and now is the time for her to be going out in trip a little bit.”

Meanwhile, Hoysted is glad he put Group 1 winner Uncommon James on ice rather than racing him during the summer carnival.

“He had a few little niggles so we sent him for a scintigraphy and his hock lit up a little bit,” Hoysted said.

“It was nothing that was a huge drama.

“But to be fair, I’m pretty comfortable as the two runs that we had pencilled him in for were the Swiss Ace Plate and the George Moore Stakes.

“Both of them were run on wet tracks and he hates wet tracks so he would have gone no good, regardless.”

Article by Ben Dorries (Racenet)

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