Article from The Advertiser
WITH more than $230,000 already in her kitty, If Not Now When is on much more than just a money-making mission when she heads to Morphettville on Saturday.
The filly’s Caulfield trainer Henry Dwyer has identified the Listed $100,000 Dequetteville Stakes as a prime opportunity to both boost her already significant bank balance and chase some prized black-type status to strengthen the juvenile’s long-term value in the breeding barn.
If Not Now When has certainly created quite the impression in two starts, winning first-up in the
$250,000 VOBIS Gold Rush at Bendigo on March 19 before producing a barnstorming success in the $100,000 VOBIS Gold Plate at Cranbourne a fortnight later.
“It’s definitely about the black-type now,” Dwyer said.
“We only paid $15,000 for her so anything she earns above that is a bonus.
“We targeted her for the race at Cranbourne and she won that.
“The Bendigo race was almost a barrier trial for Cranbourne but she was able to win that as well.
“I think she peaked on the Cranbourne night and I’m hoping she can hold that form through to Saturday.
“We had her in at Caulfield last Saturday and we were in two minds about whether we’d start but we’ve opted to come across for the Dequetteville.
“The Caulfield race was worth $150,000 but it was set weights plus penalties, whereas Saturday is just set weights.
“She’s level weights with fillies that she’s obviously won more prizemoney than and probably slightly better performed than at the moment, so that was the attraction.
“She’s only a very small filly, too, so all the weight relief we can get helps.”
If Not Now When starts from gate 10 in Saturday’s 1050m feature against a talented group of fillies but Dwyer said her versatility should hold her in good stead with top apprentice Michael Dee in the saddle.
“She’s very tough and does everything right,” the trainer said.
“She eats, sleeps and goes out and does her work with a minimum of fuss. That’s pretty much her life.
“You couldn’t ask for a more bombproof two-year-old.
“And her race manners are the same. She relaxes wherever you put her. She has excellent gate speed and can travel on the pace but last start she found herself back a bit further than we wanted her to be but she was able to overcome it.
“From the wide barrier on Saturday, I’m undecided what to do.
“If we wanted to go forward, she’s certainly got the speed to do that.
“We’ll ride her positive and see where she fits in.”
The trainer said the filly had only had two decent gallops since her Cranbourne win but was confident she would step out in good order on Saturday.
“She’s at that stage of her preparation where we don’t need to be hammering her on the track to get her fit for her races,” he said.
“She just had a little maintenance gallop on Tuesday here (at Caulfield) on the steeple grass.
“Mick Dee rode her there and he was happy enough with her … but I think his comment was that he’s glad she turns it on on race day because you wouldn’t know she’s any good from her trackwork.”