Venerable sprinter Mrs Chrissie (NZ) (Per Incanto) has won six races for trainer Ciaron Maher and has placed on a further nine occasions, but the six-year-old mare will make a rare appearance at Flemington this Saturday.
Mrs Chrissie hasn’t been to Flemington since finishing fifth in an 1100m benchmark 70 in May 2023, and has primarily done her racing at Caulfield.
The talented mare will contest an A$150,000 open handicap off a rating of 91 and enters in a fresh state.
The daughter of Per Incanto will have her first run since finishing second-last at Morphettville in the Gr.3 Irwin Stakes won by Royal Ascot contender Asfoora on April 12, which Maher’s Assistant trainer Turnbull described as a forgettable experience.
“I think the travel and the weather that day really got the better of her,” he said.
“She clearly wasn’t at her best, so we were pretty keen just to back off and reset.
“Her three prior to that Adelaide race were OK without being amazing. In hindsight, she was definitely not at her best that prep but if she gets back to it, (it’s a) different ball game.
“I’m sure she will be fine at Flemington, albeit she has only ever raced there once.”
The open sprint is the part of a Flemington card that also includes the $150,000 The David Bourke, which is a qualifier for the Winter Championship Final, and heats of the Creswick Sprint Series, Silver Bowl Series and Mahogany Series for the three-year-old stayers.