Taige Weir is still coming to terms with the fact she has a Stakes winner in the stable, but she is not letting that make her complacent.
The young Ballarat horsewoman is shooting for a maiden Group winner this Saturday at Sandown.
Weir has brilliant last-start Geelong maiden winner Magna Sententia in the $400,000 Group 2 Sandown Guineas (1600m).
It will be run 11 days after Billycart provided Weir with her first Flemington winner when she won the Listed Batman Stakes on Melbourne Cup Day and she admits it has taken some getting used to.
“It’s been a very big week and I got carried away with the celebrations a little bit, but I’m dealing with that now and catching up on life,” Weir said with laugh.
“It was just amazing. It’s been just over a week now, it’s just gone so quick and the support and the messages from everyone has been pretty cool. It’s very special.”
Weir certainly didn’t think last week that she had the Sandown Guineas favourite in her care with the race not even on her radar until the ease of the Geelong win.
Weir went to Geelong aiming to qualify Magna Sententia for the $250,000 Emerging Stars Final at Ballarat on December 5, but decided to aim up after he ambled home by 5-3/4 lengths.
“We had him set for that race because we wanted to qualify him for the race on Ballarat Cup Day, that was the whole idea of it,” she said.
“But I wasn’t expecting that. He hit the front and I thought he was going to win, everything else was off the bridle trying to chase us, but I didn’t think we’d win by that much.
“I originally just put a (Guineas) nom in thinking we wouldn’t run, then I just the progressive acceptances and, while it’s still strong, it doesn’t look as strong as previous years, and I thought we better just have a crack.”
The Geelong win was over 1318m with Magna Sententia’s only two starts prior having been over 1200m, meaning Saturday marks a swift jump in trip but Weir said her partner, jockey Will Gordon, assured her 1600m will not be an issue for the gelding despite being by Written By.
Magna Sententia is out of the California Dane mare Lake Sententia, who is also the dam of Darkbonee, who runs in the 2400m Group 2 Zipping Classic later on the Sandown card.
“Will, my partner, said last preparation, ‘this horse will be a really good miler’,” Weir said.
“I’ve always had that in my back of my head and the data at home suggests that where his sweet spot is, so I don’t think that’s going to be an issue.”
Dean Yendall, who rode Billycart to her Flemington win and was aboard Magna Sententia at Geelong, rides again on Saturday with Magna Sententia heading Guineas betting at $4.20.
