Racing
Lovelycut makes Caulfield return
Lovelycut is back for her second campaign as a four-year-old a mature mare according to her trainer.
Pakenham trainer Reece Goodwin has hopes that this may be the campaign that Lovelycut can again string a few wins together.
Lovelycut resumes in the Geoff Murphy Handicap (1200m) on Saturday and while Goodwin does not have a program set in stone for the mare, Lovelycut potentially could be Adelaide bound if she happened to score first-up.
Now a four-year-old, Lovelycut has been sparingly raced, but displayed loads of ability.
A Sandown winner late in her juvenile season, Lovelycut returned the following spring to run second first-up at Listed level, run fourth in the Vanity Stakes (1400m) at Flemington and then midfield, less than three lengths away, in the Thousand Guineas at Caulfield.
Given time to fill out and mature, Lovelycut did not race as an autumn three-year-old and had three starts last spring, culminating in a 1400m win at Seymour.
Goodwin is happy with how Lovelycut has returned this campaign.
"Off the back of last prep where she won over 1400 (metres), she's going to be suited at 1400 and 1600 this time around and Saturday is a good kick-off for her," Goodwin said.
"She could have run in one of the 1100-metre races at Flemington last week, but I just thought 1200 would be a better kick off for her.
"She's probably not as sharp as she was when she was a two-year-old, three-year-old and it looks a competitive race on Saturday as well, but she's pretty good fitness wise.
"She's there to run really well."
Goodwin said Lovelycut was now a fully developed and mature mare and ready to stand up to the rigours of racing.
But placement will be the key with winter approaching.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what she can do through the winter," Goodwin said.
"(The) Adelaide (Carnival) could be on the radar depending on how she goes Saturday.
"If she was to win, or run really strongly, we would have to give strong consideration to that because she would go into the mid-80's ratings wise, but there's no set plans.
"She's a highly-strung mare, so travelling her would take a bit out of her, so we want to make sure if we were to go there, it was worthwhile."
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