Kendrick with eyes on Sydney and Brisbane

By Glenn Davis

Promising filly Just Precious is reaping the rewards of a delayed start to her career as she bids for a hat-trick of wins at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Just Precious has only had four starts for two wins and as many placings and will be ridden by stable apprentice Cody Collis.

Trainer Stuart Kendrick nominated the daughter of Justify for the  QTIS Three-Year-Old Handicap over 1400 metres and the Benchmark 70 Handicap over 1200 metres.

“I’ve nominated her for those two races but I want to study the fields and be guided by the barriers before deciding which race she’ll run in,” Kendrick said.

Kendrick believes a decision to skip her two-year-old season has been a major factor in her career so far.

“I bought her online for about $15,000 as a weanling which is something I’ve done with young horses in the past,” Kendrick said.

“She’s got a great pedigree but she was very immature early on and wasn’t a good prospect to go through the sales.

“She was a big gangly filly and definitely wasn’t a stunner.”

Just Precious was an impressive winner after being slow away in a 1000 metre Maiden Handicap at the Sunshine Coast before stepping up to city grade with a dominant win over 1200 metres at Doomben on February 1.

“She was very impressive winning at Doomben and she’s got untapped ability,” Kendrick said.

“She’s got a great pedigree line and I’m not sure if she’ll stay but she should get up to 1600 metres.

“Saturday’s race will tell us a lot more about her but hopefully she’ll measure up to the winter carnival here and a race like the Queensland Guineas."

Kendrick had also nominated Just Precious for the Group 2 Light Fingers Stakes at Randwick on Saturday along with stablemate Dushenka in the Pierro Plate over 1100 metres.

“I think we’ll wait another day with Dushenka and look at the Sweet Embrace in a couple of weeks with her,” Kendrick said.

Dushenka made a spectacular winning debut when she easily accounted for the Lee Freedman-trained Idyllic Affair in a two-year-old race at Eagle Farm last month.

“I think Saturday’s race at Randwick is way too hard against the likes of Chris Waller’s Wodeton who is currently favourite for the Golden Slipper,” Kendrick said.