There is something refreshingly honest about John McArdle, which makes you want to cheer for the big fella and his special filly My Gladiola.
He doesn’t sugarcoat her second to Tentyris in the Coolmore Stud Stakes and knows there is no disgrace in that defeat.
“We didn’t get the barrier we wanted in gate one, but I don’t think we could have beaten him. He has always been a very, very good colt,” McArdle said.
“In an ideal world, if we drew a gate, we might have been in front of him, but I still think he beats us.”
“We ran second in the fastest Coolmore ever run, that’s not too bad.”
McArdle said before the Coolmore, My Gladiola would have to go back to last from the gate to get where she needed to be. She did that and followed Tentyris through as he exploded to victory.
“Her last 200m was about the same as his, once she got into the clear, and they [Godolphin] thought he was good enough to have a crack at the Champions Sprint with,” McArdle said.
“We have always had our eyes on Saturday with our filly.”
My Gladiola will look for her final spring reward in the repositioned $1 million Thoroughbred Club Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday.
She was backed from $2.50 into $2 when markets opened on Monday and with a good draw she will probably start odds-on after a spring laced with near misses.
It started with a photo finish defeat in the Quezette Stakes before she won the Cap D’Antibes but then was runner-up in the Danehill Stakes and Coolmore against the boys.
“I just hope the barrier gods are good to us on Saturday,” McArdle said.
“She has only drawn a good gate once, on debut, and she won that. She hasn’t been blessed with a good gate since.”
“I just want to see her get a barrier, which allows us to ride her to her strengths and you will see a good filly if we can do that.”
McArdle, who has a small team out of Mornington, has had a good spring with Yum winning the Jim Moloney and El Rocko the Sale Cup, but My Gladiola is his leading lady.
“She is still getting better, but it would be a good way for her to finish the spring if she gets a win on Saturday,” McArdle said.
