Talented mare Love You Lucy has drawn perfectly for her Doomben assignment but trainer Barry Squair is not convinced it is an advantage.
Squair believes Love You Lucy performs at her best racing outside other runners.
For that reason, he is hoping jockey Jim Byrne can steer Love You Lucy to the outside with clear running from barrier two in the Boss Designs Handicap (1350m).
“She didn’t do that much at her last start there but then again, she doesn’t like being bottled up in the field,” Squair said.
“You’ve got to get her to the outside of horses. She doesn’t like pushing through gaps and isn’t the sort of mare that you can stop and start in a race.
“She’s got to have that clear run at them when she goes.”
Love You Lucy could finish only tenth to Jadentom over 1200m at her last start at Doomben on October 10 but Squair has urged punters to overlook that defeat.
He believes the step up to 1350 metres is another factor in Love You Lucy’s favour.
“I think she’s looking for more ground to be honest and I think she’ll run a really good mile later on,” he said.
“The further we can get her out in trip the better I reckon.”
Love You Lucy is yet to win in five starts at Doomben but it is a different story at Eagle Farm.
“She likes Eagle Farm. She’s only had the three starts there and I think she should have won the three of them,” Squair said.
“She won the Dane Ripper then at her next start there she couldn’t get a crack at them in the straight.
“She tried to push through between them and when she got clear the last 50 metres she flew home.”
Love You Lucy is likely to be aimed at the Listed Just Now Quality (1300m) at Eagle Farm next month if she can recapture the form that led to her winning the Group Two Dane Ripper (1400m) during the winter carnival.