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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Joe Ible can only wonder what might have been with a filly he purchased a few years back, who didn’t get the chance to live up to her potential, when he talks about her full sister Spice Baby.

Trainer Joe Ible (Pic: Bradley Photos).

She was called Shalidor and after she was injured in a freak accident and died the trainer was given Spice Baby by the breeders.

The three-year-old is showing a good amount of potential, similar to her older sister, and Ible plans to look for a stakes race if she can convert a pleasing first-up run into a win in the NCIS Sydney Midway Handicap (1200m) at Gosford on Saturday.

Ible is sure Shalidor would have won races and while they’ll never know he said Spice Baby has proven to be a handy replacement.

“She was pretty smart, she’d had a couple of jump outs at home but got an infection in the bone after being kicked by another horse,’’ he said.

“The breeders stayed in that yearling and had Spice Baby so they decided to retain and race her.

“She’s making up for what could have been with the other one.”

Spice Baby, $4 with TAB on Thursday, has won two of her seven starts and it was a sign of how well Ible felt she was going when he sent her straight into a Benchmark 78 against older horses for her first-up run.

She led until the shadows and was run down by Cantiamo and Ernaux but the Kembla Grange trainer was rapt with her performance and says it augers well for a drop in class.

“She’s always displayed a bit of talent and her record is very good,’’ he said.

“I was happy with her first-up run and this looks a nice race for her.

“We had the idea maybe she could go to the Denise’s Joy or a fillies stakes race later in the carnival in Queensland so we wanted to test her first-up.

“She passed that test and we’re coming back to Midway grade now to try and get a win on our way through.”

Ible said in an ideal world Spice Baby’s first-up run would have been at 1100m but with a solid run under her belt fitness won’t be an excuse if she’s beaten.

Her last win was at Gosford in December and Ible expects she’ll be near the speed if not setting it.

“I like to see our horses improve through the preparation,’’ he said.

“The 1200m probably wasn’t ideal for her first-up but coming into the 1200m second-up she’s definitely fit and ready to go.

“Gosford is her track, she goes well there and it suits her style.

“This is the beauty of the Midway races, they are restricted somewhat and dropping from a 78 to Midway looks a lovely race.

“If we can boost her confidence and rating we can look at races in Queensland.”

The barrier draw made Ible’s decision easy with how to split Spice Baby and stablemate Common Goal and the latter is left with the harder task in the Benchmark 78 Railway Hotel Gosford Handicap (1200m).

The four-year-old has won three of his last five starts and finished just behind the placings when fourth to Probability Theory at Kensington a couple of weeks ago.

Spice Baby runs third at Randwick on April 25

“He wasn’t quite as quick away as he has been, he’s a horse that loves to free roll,’’ he said.

“They steadied up midrace and it was more a sit and sprint and he got outsprinted. If he can get away cleanly and do his own thing he can run a cheeky race.

“He’s had a fantastic prep, gone from a Queanbeyan maiden and just kept improving all the way through.”

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