By John Schell
Classy filly Artistic Venture is again poised to make a return to racing with co-trainers John O’Shea and Tom Charlton eyeing off Sunday’s Wyong Leagues Group 3YO Maiden Plate (1200m) at Wyong.
O’Shea and Charlton scratched Artistic Venture from a recent assignment but have booked jockey Zac Lloyd to partner the daughter of Trapeze Artist in the Wyong event for which she is a dominant pre-post favourite.
Trainer John O'Shea (Pic: Steve Hart)
“It does look a nice race for her to return in,” said O’Shea.
“She’s shown us plenty of promise in her career and she is overdue to break her maiden.”
Artistic Venture debuted with a fourth in the Inglis Nursery before finishing third in the Inglis Millennium behind Rivellino.
She then took on the Sweet Embrace Stakes and finished fifth behind Within The Law, before again running fifth in the Magic Night Stakes behind Memo.
“She’s taken on the top class two-year-olds throughout her career so far,” O’Shea said.
“She is yet to run a bad race, and her class should take her a long way in Sunday’s event.”
O’Shea and Charlton will have two other runners at Wyong, with Lloyd partnering both Karmardo in the Shelly Beach Golf Club 4YO&Up Maiden Handicap (1100m) and Countyourblessings in the Club Munmorah & Toukley Golf Club Mona Lisa Stakes Prelude (1200m).
“Karmardo resumed at Kembla Grange the other day with a sixth,” said O’Shea.
“He is a talented horse that can certainly lift on that performance and figure prominently at Wyong.”
Countyourblessings hasn’t raced since finishing second in the Listed Gai Waterhouse Classic at Ipswich in June.
“She’s an honest mare and has performed well in some good class races during her career,” O’Shea said.
“We’ve given her a trial since the Ipswich run just to keep her up to the mark for the Wyong race and I’d be disappointed if she didn’t run well.”
The Bella Group Wyong Cup Prelude (2000m) is the other feature event on Sunday, with trainer Ciaron Maher expected to play a strong hand when he has Royal Supremacy (Braith Nock) and Kettle Hill (Lloyd) lining up in the $60,000 event.