Ultra-consistent four-year-old mare Red Card landed her biggest prize to date when running out a comfortable winner of the Gr.3 Maurice McCarten Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday for trainer James Cummings.
Beginning brilliantly from an inside draw, Red Card comfortably found the lead under Adam Hyeronimus and controlled proceedings throughout.
A daughter of Haunui Farm stallion Ribchester, Red Card’s Group Three victory enhances her CV further, having landed the Listed Denise’s Joy Stakes (1100m) and Listed Queensland Day Stakes (1200m) through the Winter of her three-year-old season.
“It was a great job that Adam Hyeronimus was able to do on her,” Cummings said.
“She jumped so fast and she gets control of these races and she has got great natural pace.
“Great credit to the work riders who are continuing to get her to settle better and better when it matters.
“That is the difference between last preparation and this preparation. It is great to see and that gives me the opportunity to step her up to six furlongs if I wish to in a month’s time.”
The Gr.2 Sapphire Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on April 13 shapes as the most likely option, although Cummings didn’t rule out a quick back up into next week’s Gr.1 Galaxy (1100m).
“I think a month to the Sapphire looks good,” Cummings said. “She will be a nice runner for us during the carnival. She is out of a Street Cry mare and she is a daughter of Ribchester but she is fast.
“She is able to handle these tracks and she is in such great form.”
A winner of eight of her 16 starts, Red Card has prizemoney earnings of A$721,725.
The Godolphin bred and raced mare won a trial at Hawkesbury earlier in the week.
“I trialled her on Monday and it was obviously a plan to target this race,” Hyeronimus said. “She was nice and fresh on Monday and needed the blow, so it was very well executed by James and it is good to get a Group Three.
“Going up in grade she is probably going to get more pressure than what she did today but she handled that mid-race pressure and it didn’t seem to bother her and she settled last start, so she is taking the right steps.”
After two seasons at Darley Australia, Ribchester transferred to Haunui Farm in New Zealand as the replacement for his own successful sire Iffraaj, who shuttled for 12 seasons. Ribchester stands for $12,000 plus GST and stood his fourth season in New Zealand last spring.