Doves Cry (Image: Racing Photos)
Caulfield trainer Henry Dwyer thinks exciting three-year-old Doves Cry has the ability to be competing in some of the autumn fillies features and believes she is set to put the writing on the wall at just her second start at The Valley this Friday night.
The daughter of Street Cry was impressive saluting on debut at Ballarat over 1200m in late November, recording the quickest last 200m of the day.
While she meets an above-average Benchmark 64 for her first city outing, Dwyer is looking forward to seeing her progress through the grades and hopefully onto black type in the autumn.
"I really like her as a filly," Dwyer said on Thursday.
"She's one that I earmarked from a fair way out as one of my better three-year-olds, she's right up there.
"That suggests she goes pretty well and I think she'll show that over her next few starts.
"I think she's going to stretch out to probably a mile in time, but a 1200m fillies Benchmark 64 in town is probably a natural progression for her at this stage.
"She's been a little bit keen going so we wouldn't want to step her up quite yet but I do have a lot of time for her and I think she will run really well in what looks a strong-enough Benchmark 64.
"If she can win or run well there we'll just keep going through toward the fillies races in the autumn for her.
WATCH: Doves Cry's win on debut
Dwyer added: "These fillies are in work at this time of year because you hope that they can show that they are going to be Stakes class in the autumn.
"If she can measure up on Friday night that will be a pretty good indicator that we can push forward to those races and give her the opportunity to get some black type."
On Saturday at Caulfield the stable will be represented by classy mare If Not Now When, who resumes in the final race on the card.
The now four-year-old is in for a good preparation according to Dwyer and gets conditions to suit first-up on Saturday.
"She's a mare that can sustain long preparations so she's not really screwed down but over the short course Caulfield is probably her track," Dwyer explained.
"She's trialled up well again, she trialled up at Cranbourne and went great so I'm confident she can run a good race.
"The main thing about her is getting the weight of her back, so I've put my apprentice Georgie Cartwright on her.
"Just that three kilograms claiming off the minimum down to 51 kilograms really suits I think.
"Georgie's doing a really good job at the moment. Georgie rides her every morning actually and she gets along really well with her and it's a good reward for Georgie's hard work hopefully in a win on Saturday."
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