The Group 1 Empire Rose at Flemington in early November is the long term target for classy mare See You In Heaven after her stunning return in Saturday’s $150,000 Group 3 Behemoth Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville.
The Richard and Chantelle Jolly-trained mare was chasing a second successive win in the race formerly known as the Spring Stakes and she exceeded pre-race expectations by unleashing a brilliant turn of foot to power past rivals and record a dominant 1.6 length victory at her first start in 10 months.
“It’s great to see her win like that,’’ co-trainer Richard Jolly said.
“I really thought she was underdone.
“She’s a bit hard to read now, she never trials brilliantly, but Tuesday she worked pretty good and once I seen her in the mounting yard on two feet I thought she was really switched on.
“To see her do that, to my thinking nowhere near ready, is quite exciting,’’ he said.
The stable will follow a similar path to last year, taking on the Listed Leon Macdonald Stakes at Morphettville before casting their eyes over the border.
The Empire Rose, a 1600m race restricted to mares, is an ideal option for the horse falling on the same day as the $10m Golden Eagle in Sydney which would be the target for any big name four-year-old rivals.
“I really want to go to the Leon Macdonald in two weeks, two runs at home under her belt and we can look at the spring,’’ Jolly added.
“We can stick to the mares’ races, the mile race on Derby Day (Empire Rose) would be the aim,’’ he said.
