Karuta Queen off to Melbourne
By Caryl Williamson
Flying filly Karuta Queen is a high profile defector from the first part of the Sydney autumn carnival following the loss of Saturday's Warwick Farm meeting.
Trainer Neville Layt has rearranged her campaign and she will head to Melbourne this week to resume in the Group Three Rubiton Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield.
She will then step up to Group One company a little sooner than planned with the Oakleigh Plate (1100m) on February 18 a new target.
Layt was disappointed the 1000m sprint race from the Warwick Farm meeting wasn't added to Saturday's Rosehill meeting featuring the Group Two Expressway Stakes.
"I could have run her in the Expressway but first-up over 1200 metres is not ideal," Layt said.
"So we've decided to go to Melbourne instead for the Rubiton.
"She will get in on the minimum and also in the Oakleigh Plate.
"She's been to Caulfield before so that's not a worry for us."
"It's only seven hours down the road from Queanbeyan so she will travel on Wednesday.
Her trip to Caulfield in the spring resulted in a second to champion Black Caviar in the Schillaci Stakes (1000m).
Karuta Queen then came out and won the Group Three Australia Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley before African Pulse beat her down the Flemington straight 1000 metres.
Black Caviar will again be the star attraction at Caulfield on Saturday when she runs in the C F Orr Stakes.
Her program after that is still open with Layt hoping she goes somewhere other than Sydney as he wants to target the TJ Smith Stakes with Karuta Queen.
Layt confirmed Tommy Berry would ride Karuta Queen at Caulfield.
Berry has been aboard the filly in all 12 of her starts which have netted six wins including the 2011 Magic Millions Classic.
The Australian Turf Club considered rescheduling the Warwick Farm meeting to Monday but a ring-around of trainers confirmed they would not support the meeting on a predicted slow or heavy surface.
The meeting was abandoned due to surface water on the track.
To accommodate the juveniles heading to carnival races, the ATC has shortened the two-year-old race at Rosehill on Saturday from 1200 to 1100 metres with provisions to split the race if enough nominations are received.
© Australian Associated Press Pty Limited (AAP) 2012
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