Casino Princess earned her first stakes-level crown last month and Cliff Goss is eyeing a bigger prize with the talented five-year-old.
Casino Princess has been one of the finds of the winter, placing and winning at Rating 75 grade on four occasions before a comfortable success in the Listed Tauranga Classic (1400m) on June 22, much to the delight of her locally-based trainer.
“It was great, she really deserved it because she’s a very kind filly who anyone can ride and she always tries. I was very happy with her,” Goss said.
“She’s done really well, she hadn’t had a race for quite a while when she won that and since then she’s really come ahead.”
The victory gave Goss plenty to consider heading into the spring with his mare, and with the Gr.2 Waikato Stud Foxbridge Plate (1200m) looming on August 24, the Arawa Park Hotel Rotorua 1230 at Rotorua’s rescheduled meeting on Thursday was deemed the suitable option.
“I galloped her on Monday, I like to give them three days after to ensure they’re nice and fresh. She worked really well so she hasn’t done much since then, she had a little canter around this morning,” he said.
“It was the only race we could put her in really, we want to go to the Foxbridge Plate which is also at 1200.
“I would’ve liked her to run at 1400, but I’ve freshened her up a bit and she’s won at the distance before earlier on.
“I think she’s more of a miler now, she’s gotten stronger and matured a lot. I believe she could win a race like an Easter Handicap (Gr.3, 1600m). We’ll definitely look to get her out to that distance in the spring, but we only have the shorter distances in open grade at this stage available for her.”
The daughter of Casino Prince had a significant rating boost after winning the feature contest, placing her on top of the book at open handicap conditions with 60 kilograms, decreased by Triston Moodley’s two-kilogram claim.
“She had 60 kilos, so I thought that was just about as much as she’ll handle,” Goss said.
“Michael McNab, who was meant to ride her got hurt, so I took the opportunity to get a claimer on which brings her down to 58, which she has won with before.
“He (Moodley) is a good rider too, he’s right up there with the top ones.”