She may be the small filly taking on some seasoned sprinters, but local trainer Trevor Andrews insists Luana Miss is well capable of punching above her light weight as he gets set to unleash his stable star in the Nov. 29 Winterbottom Stakes (G1) at Ascot Racecourse.
The experienced Ascot horseman has celebrated eight group 1 wins since taking out his training license more than three decades ago, but the lightly framed Luana Miss has the potential to eclipse the likes of Modem—who in 2004 achieved the Railway Stakes (G1) and Kingston Town Classic (G1) double—if she can continue on her current trajectory.
Andrews is firm in his belief that his AU$110,000 purchase won't be out of her depth or overawed by the occasion as she prepares to face off against the state's premier sprinter Jokers Grin and a whole host of eastern raiders, headed by Bjorn Baker's dual Winterbottom Stakes hero Overpass.
That dynamic duo are understandably vying for race favoritism, given that they have compiled 19 wins between them. However, off the back of two blistering victories this prep—most recently in the Placid Ark Stakes—and with just 51.5 kilograms on her slender back Saturday for the 1,200-meter (about 6-furlong) event, Luana Miss is certainly no forlorn hope as she bids to become the first filly to win the Winterbottom in half a century.
"She's not an overly big filly, but she's got a huge motor," Andrews told ANZ News. "I have horses in the stable that are nearly twice as big as she is, but they've only got half her acceleration.
"She had her final piece of work on the turf track at Ascot on Tuesday morning, she came through that really well and was as bright as a button this morning so we couldn't be happier with her build-up."
Perhaps the only setback came the morning of Nov. 25, when Luana Miss was assigned the outside gate in an initial field of 11 which was subsequently reduced to just nine when both Man Crush and Spacewalk were scratched Nov. 26.
But if anything Andrews viewed the withdrawal of Man Crush as more of a hindrance than the wide alley, given that it deprived the race of one of its early pacemakers.
His concern now is that Overpass may get an uncontested lead and prove too hard to chase down, as has been the case in the previous two editions of the AU$1.5 million contest.
However, provided Luana Miss is within striking distance of the leading pack he fully expects the filly to scorch home under Shaun O'Donnell, the in-form rider who was aboard Jokers Grin for his last-start victory in the Colonel Reeves Stakes (G3).
"She tends to sit off the pace in her runs anyway, so if Shaun can sit three deep with a bit of cover I'll be happy with that," Andrews said. "It was disappointing that some of the speed came out of the race when Man Crush was taken out, because that would have suited us and also put a bit of pressure on Overpass. But we can't do anything about that and I'm sure there will be speed on as there always is in any group 1 sprint race, so Overpass certainly won't get things all his own way."
Overpass Tries for Historic Three-Peat
Regular Perth raider Overpass has returned to Ascot for another tilt at the Winterbottom Stakes, aiming to become the first horse in the race's history to win three consecutive editions. The Bjorn Baker-trained 7-year-old lines up for his sixth Western Australian campaign, having already built a formidable record in the state. His past visits have delivered consecutive wins in the 2023 and 2024 runnings of The Quokka, as well as back-to-back Winterbottom victories. His lone miss was a brave fifth in this year's Quokka.
Racing manager Luke Hilton said the gelding has arrived in career-best form following a strong spring that included a high-class fourth in The Everest (G1), where he finished just 1 1/2 lengths behind star sprinter Ka Ying Rising.
"It was probably the best run of his career," Hilton said. "He got a week out after The Everest, came back, had a good trial the other day and he's in really good form. When he went to get on the plane, he looked better than he did before The Everest, so I'm excited.
"We may even look at a Gold Rush this year with him. He's older now and tends to not be as good second-up, but we've never tried him over a bit further second-up."
