Devine Miss looking to maintain exemplary record

Having missed the podium just once in her nine-start career, Devine Miss enters this Sunday's TAB Federal (1000m) as one of the key chances. Her only failure to date came on a Heavy-10 in a TAB Highway, where she suffered a black eye running 10th of 10.

First up in the Golden Nugget (1000m) at Queanbeyan on 20 November, Devine Miss found herself a mile back in a small field before rattling home into third. Trainer Norm Gardner said of the run “It wasn’t a bad run, just the way things panned out, she was a mile off the front two.”

“She finished off really well and she’s pulled up great. I think she’s a Highway class horse so she’ll be right in the finish here second up.”

Devine Miss, a four-year-old mare by Headwater, has the runs on the board but it may be an inexperienced filly that represents her biggest challenger.

Anthony Warren’s Star To Fall was an eye-catching winner on debut at Thoroughbred Park, when scoring by over five and a half lengths, on 25 November. Warren’s high opinion of the filly is evident with an immediate step up in grade from maiden company to the $34,000 Benchmark 70 TAB Federal.

Both Devine Miss and Star To Fall have drawn wide with barriers 11 and 12 respectively.

Earlier in the day, Norm Gardner is bullish about the chances of another one of his talented mares.

“I think Keep It Down in the Benchmark 60 1300m is going to be really competitive.” Gardner said. “She’s going to be peaking third up and has drawn perfectly in 6.”

A bomb-proof mare, the five-year-old by Pluck has had 28 starts to date, yielding four wins and seven minor placings.

“This is a really nice race for her and I’m confident she’s going to go very close.”

Keep It Down will contest Race Two on the program, the Ned Neddrie Memorial Handicap.