Coolangatta has been given the all-clear to head to Royal Ascot after what looked an underwhelming jump-out down the Flemington straight.
But the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained filly has been a clean bill of health to head to the UK to contest the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes (1000m) on June 20.
Eustace said Coolangatta had come through Monday’s jump-out well where she lined up against fellow Royal Ascot contenders Artorius and Cannonball.
“She licked the bin throughout the day which is unusual for her after a run or a strong hit-out, which is really encouraging,” Eustace said.
“She’s sound this morning and ate up overnight.”
Eustace said following the trial, the stable was able to analyse all the information from the jump-out through the tracker Coolangatta wore on Monday.
“Her action was good, her recovery, probably the most important thing, was on par with all her other work and we thankfully we have an awful lot of training to compare with,” Eustace said.
“So that encouraged us further again.
Eustace said Maher was concerned at first by the way Coolangatta finished off the 900m jump-out.
But Eustace said the time run was quicker than the horses ran in the corresponding trial last year before Artorius, Nature Strip and Home Affairs headed to Royal Ascot.
“They were on a Good 4 last year and yesterday it was a Soft 7, so that was a strong indication of how they went in the trial and that encourage us, and it’s all systems go.”
Coolangatta, Artorius and Cannonball are all scheduled to leave for the UK on Monday June 7.
Cannonball is set to line-up against Coolangatta while Artorius has been set for the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (1200m), a race he dead-heated for third in last year, on June 24.
