Latest News

By Ray Hickson

Trainer Blake Ryan is confident he made the right decision by giving talented mare Lady Extreme some extra time to get over her big first-up win and hopes it shows at Rosehill on Saturday.

The five-year-old handled an unorthodox preparation with no barrier trial leading into her impressive win a month ago on a heavy track which Ryan hoped would provide a nice springboard to another Midway race two weeks later.

But he elected to pull the pin from the June 14 engagements after the mare was telling him she wasn’t quite ready.

“I just wasn’t 100 per cent happy with her, there was no issue,’’ Ryan said.

“I ride her every day and with all the idiosyncrasies horses have there was something in my gut telling me to wait.

“She was going to be two weeks second-up after having no trial before racing first-up on a heavy track.

“She’s a mare that really puts in and I just reckon it might have been too soon. No matter the result on Saturday I think it was the right call because I think she’s back to herself.”

Lady Extreme has to make the step from winning that Midway, where she ran down Let’s Go Again over 1100m, and carry just half a kilogram less in the Chandon Handicap (1200m) which is a benchmark 78 event.

Lady Extreme wins at Rosehill on May 31

The Hawkesbury trainer said while that is a relevant query she’s earned the right to be tested at that level.

“She’s as honest as they come. When she walks back into the mounting yard you just look at her and you know she’s given everything she has,’’ he said.

“Yes she’s up to a 78, that’s probably my biggest question mark. Is she up to genuine Saturday grade now coming out of Midway class?

“There’s plenty of races around for her. I’m happy as I was with her going into first-up.”

Alysha Collett retains the ride on the mare, $4.40 with TAB on Thursday, and Ryan said while he’d be more confident on a wetter track than she’ll encounter at Rosehill she’s proven she can be competitive on any surface.

He’d just like a genuinely run race to give her every chance from barrier one.

“I imagine we’ll be where we were the other day, she might land midfield on the fence,’’ he said.

“Late in the day at Rosehill out of the chute you’d think they would go quick.”

Meanwhile, Ryan said his promising two-year-old Just Awesome will make his city debut at Rosehill next Saturday.

The colt kicked off his career with a win at Gosford last week and with Tommy Berry having a previous engagement Regan Bayliss will take the ride.

“He has a bit of learning to do, he’s still pretty raw,’’ Ryan said.

“If he does the things wrong that he did at Gosford he’d get found out but that’s why you take them to the races, to get experience.”

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