Mizzy closes in on value-boosting Group 1

Cover image courtesy of Bronwen Healy

Written By Bren O'Brien

Mizzy (Zoustar) will continue to search for that Group 1 stamp on her page in Saturday's G1 George Ryder S. as connections look to further boost her value ahead of her going through the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in May.

The Anthony Cummings-trained Mizzy was narrowly beaten by Savatiano (Street Cry {Ire}) in the G1 Canterbury S. before running a big race in the G1 Coolmore Classic when runner-up to Krone (Eurozone).

Cummings said the George Ryder was initially on Mizzy's autumn schedule, before the decision to run her in the Coolmore saw her withdrawn from the entries. It was only when last week's Rosehill meeting was put back a week that Cummings decided that the weight-for-age race was back on her radar.

"The initial plan was to go to the George Ryder. It looked a natural step after her good run in the Canterbury S. We then hunted better tracks in the Coolmore and having raced her there, we cancelled the nomination for the Ryder. We reinstated that once the races were put back," Cummings told TDN AusNZ.

"She's had a good week. She did a nice piece of work and she's pretty fit. She doesn’t do as much work now as she would when leading into all of this. She seems in good shape and continues on in the same vein as she has in her last couple."

Mizzy, who features Cummings as well as her breeder Robert Crabtree among her ownership, already had considerable value as a broodmare prospect ahead of this campaign, having won three stakes races but her performances at her last two starts have put a spotlight on her ahead of her sale on the Gold Coast in May.

"She has been quite valuable for some time now, but it's more so at this point, there has been a sizeable amount added to her value, given her Group 1 placings in her past two runs," Cummings said.

Those two huge Group 1 performances have not surprised her trainer, who felt she had come back very well only do be undone by a sticky track when fresh in the G2 Expressway S. and then by a wide barrier in the Oakleigh Plate.

"First-up she found the wet track difficult to deal with. It was a bit of a mixed track and she wasn't quite there. Off the back of that, we went and ran in the Oakleigh Plate and she ran very well. She was only beaten a couple of lengths and was on the backside of the horse that came out and won the Newmarket (Zoutori)," he said.

"It’s hard to be out eight deep and face the breeze and the market seemed to have missed that altogether, and was surprised when she ran as well as she did in the Canterbury S. It didn't surprise us. We thought she'd do exactly what she did.

"Again, she went on and ran a big race in the Coolmore. Once she hits form, she typically maintains it. She's such a consistent mare when in form. We are looking for that to be the case to put her in the finish on Saturday."

A Group 1 victory would put a further boost on that value and if that doesn't come to fruition at Rosehill on Saturday, Cummings has a few other options up his sleeve.

"It depends on how she goes on Saturday, but she is very adaptable and there are a couple of ways she could go. The races that come up are the Coolmore Legacy, and this could be a good lead in, but equally, she could go back to 1200 metres and maybe look at a race like the Robert Sangster," he said.

"The other alternative could be the All Aged. It could be any of them at this stage for her next target."

Cummings feels that whoever buys Mizzy when she goes through the ring at the Gold Coast needs to keep an open mind as to her future, as he believes she still has plenty of racing in her yet.

"That's one of the considerations of the current owners too. She is sound and has probably got another 12 months of racing in her if someone wanted to do that," he said.