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By Ray Hickson

It wasn’t in trainer Travis Doudle’s plan to give Swiftie Harriet a third Sydney start but a win at Randwick on Saturday could open the door for a shot at the Big Dance.

Trainer Travis Doudle (Pic: Racing Photos).

The South Australian trainer earmarked two mares races in June for the consistent four-year-old for as many placings and after she pulled up well from her narrow defeat at the hands of Surf’s Up he’s hoping it’s third time lucky in the TAB Handicap (1400m).

Doudle, who said he’d be keen to set up a Sydney base one day, likes the idea of seeing Swiftie Harriet race for $3 million in the Big Dance or even the $750,000 in the Little Dance later this year and says the Goulburn Cup could give her that chance.

“She could get a mile if everything is run to suit so I’m keeping in the back of my mind the Goulburn Cup because it’s a qualifier for the Big Dance,’’ Doudle said.

“That’d be a pretty big deal to go around in a $3 million race. I’ll leave it to the owners if they want to chase that big dream or try for a black type win.

“It’s a big thing for us to go there and try and do this, not many people attempt it from SA, I was disappointed after last start but proud of the horse.”

Swiftie Harriet, $4.80 with TAB on Thursday, made her Sydney debut when running third behind Bella Corazon at Rosehill on June 13 then two weeks later she gave the in-form Surf’s Up a run for her money.

The plan was to give her a couple of days at Richard Collett’s stable, where she’s been based, before returning to South Australia to target the Leon Macdonald Stakes next month, which is run a few days before the Goulburn Cup.

“Richard Collett has been helping me and he said she’s pulled up so well so I thought I’d give her one more run and bring her home,’’ he said.

“It wasn’t planned but when this race was sitting there, it’s exactly the same race as she’s been going in, I thought we might as well give her the one more.

“I was really hoping she won last start because that was the race we set her for.

“We thought we’d get her up there and give her a good run and she should be peaking into the second. She went close, it took one of Chris Waller’s to run her down and for a second there I thought we were okay.”

Anna Roper continues her association with the mare and Doudle said the likelihood of a heavy track is no cause for concern.

“Wet doesn’t bother me with her, that’s probably a bonus, she’s had a couple of fails on firm decks so cut in the track is good for her,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, trainer Les Bridge will be monitoring the Randwick track closely before deciding if Aye Aye Captain takes her place against Swiftie Harriet and company.

The lightly traced mare backed up a Warwick Farm midweek win with an eye-catching third behind Surf’s Up and Swiftie Harriet and Bridge is keen to place her where she’ll be able to continue her rise.

Swiftie Harriet runs second at Rosehill on June 27

“She’s a good handy mare and has her foot on the till but I’m a bit concerned about how heavy the track might be,’’ Bridge said.

“She loves the sting out of the ground, but there’s so many fillies and mares races around you don’t have to race so if it’s going to be really heavy I’ll probably pull her out.”

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