She might lack the early brilliance of the typical summer two-year-old but tradesman-like filly Fine Sierra can defy her market expectation in Saturday’s Geelong Diamond, according to co-trainer Katherine Coleman.
The daughter of Pinatubo was outgunned over 1000m at Pakenham on debut but, with the run under her belt and stepping to 1100m for her second raceday assignment, Coleman is expecting an improved performance.
The filly has drifted to $15 in Bet365’s market for the $150,000 race, which is headed by Ciaron Maher’s Street Boss filly Ghana’s Akan.
“I thought she ran really well first-up,” Coleman said.
“We always thought the 1000m was going to be a bit sharp for her so we’re thinking that the 1100m will suit her and, taking the race experience from her first start, I thought she was maybe over the odds.”
“She’s a horse that put her hand up to be there early.”
“She’s very professional and does everything without much fuss.”
“She’s probably more tradesman-like than showing us any elite ability at this stage but when they’re two-year-olds that can take them a long way.”
While she holds entries for the Magic Millions 2YO Classic on the Gold Coast and the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield in the coming months, Coleman said Fine Sierra needs to win on Saturday to warrant consideration for those lofty targets.
“I’d probably be more inclined to think that she’ll run on Saturday and, unless she happens to win convincingly, I’d say she ends up in the paddock,” she said.
“But we’ll go there with an open mind because some of those nice races are in the back of your mind.”
