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Cave Plans To Extend Mona Lisa’s Renaissance To Feature Miles

By Ray Hickson

Workaholic mare The Mona Lisa is a lover of the Randwick mile so there’s no shock in co-trainer Martha Cave revealing a couple of feature targets if she can continue her stellar form on Saturday.

Trainer Martha Cave (Pic: Bradley Photos).

The Agency Real Estate Handicap (1600m) is the five-year-old’s chance to enhance her record of four wins and a second from five starts at the track and trip and prove to the stable her rise isn’t finished yet.

Next month’s Group 3 Angst Stakes (1600m), run on TAB Everest Day, is The Mona Lisa’s primary target and she’ll also look to qualify for the $3 million The Big Dance (1600m) via a Dubbo Cup on the way through.

“If she does run well we will be looking to take her to Dubbo for the Dubbo Cup. She’ll be missing her misting fans and her name up in lights,’’ Cave said.

“And we’d like to get some black type with her so there’s the Angst Stakes three weeks after that.

“She’s moving up the grades and it’s a step up but I feel a lot more relaxed now than when she was coming out of Midways.

“She doesn’t owe us anything at all, the owners are fantastic people who are going to enjoy the day out at Randwick.”

The Mona Lisa has astounded both Paul and Martha Cave with her refusal to have a spell.

She has “mini-breaks”, Martha says, but as it stands on Saturday it will be her 18th start since her latest conventional spell and it’ll be her first without regular jockey Andrew Calder, due to suspension, since April last year.

Andrew Adkins will take the ride on The Mona Lisa and he’s already had a briefing from Calder about the mare’s quirks.

“She has a great work ethic that one,’’ Cave said.

“Even though the prep looks very long she has had up to three weeks off at a time. A week is probably ideal for her.

“Since she last raced she’s had a week in the paddock, a week pre-training at our farm and then back to the stables and galloping.

“If we spell her we’re going to have to find another horse to run with her because she’s not happy doing nothing. She’s waiting at the gate every day and she loves work.”

When The Mona Lisa, $6 with TAB on Thursday, last raced she was faced with the job of running down tearaway leader Puntin carrying 59kg and Cave said how she handled it is an example of just how much of a thinker, in a good way, she is.

“I think she’s learned how to race and because she loves racing she’s very competitive but she’s not crazy,’’ she said.

“She saw that leader in front but she didn’t lock on and go for him until Andrew asked her to. She’s there for you all the time saying ‘can I go faster’ but she’s happy to wait for you to tell her to do it.”

Cave said how The Mona Lisa handles another rise in class will provide a good guide on her prospects going to races like the Dubbo Cup and then into Group company.

And with 55kg it gives her the chance to offset drawing the outside barrier.

“It’s been a long time since she’s carried such a light weight and I think she will enjoy that,’’ she said.


The Mona Lisa wins at Randwick on August 8

“I think she’s got enough race-ability to be wherever you want to be. She’ll be wherever she’s comfortable, I don’t want to go out there with a solid plan.

“If she’s comfortable and allowed to travel she will hit the line hard.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Randwick meeting

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