Pippie (Image: Racing Photos)
Trainer Chris Meagher has no concerns about Oakleigh Plate winner Pippie handling the 1200m of Friday night's Manikato Stakes at The Valley, despite her recent record being better over shorter distances.
"If you look at her form, she's won two at 1000m, two at 1100m and two at 1200m and one of those was a Group 3," Meagher said.
"If she sustains the speed that she does in an Oakleigh Plate and a Moir Stakes, she may struggle. But we don't have to go that quick. We can restrain her a touch to get the 1200m."
Pippie is coming off a scorching win in the $1 million G1 Moir Stakes (1000m) in September.
"She's come through [the Moir] in terrific order," Meagher said. "If anything, she's probably done a touch better, which is a little bit frightening. Going into Friday night, she couldn't please us any more.
"I know she's on song if she's walking across the gap after her work and she has two or three little jig-jogs. She's done that yesterday so, barring a lot of rain on Friday night, we're going into this race extremely confident."
Pippie winner has drawn barrier one, which should allow her to utilise her trademark early speed.
"[Drawing the inside] will eliminate any early energy that we have to use as opposed to coming from gate eight or nine and coming across, wasting two or three lengths. She can just bounce and be in front and hopefully dictate from there on," Meagher said.
The instructions to jockey Damian Lane will be slightly different to normal to ensure Pippie runs out the 1200m.
"It's normally handlebars down as soon as the gates open but we'll just keep them raised for the first half and then they'll be down full throttle from the 600m onwards," Meagher said.
If Pippie wins on Friday night, it will be her third victory at the elite level.
"You don't get horses that have had 12 starts in their life and won two Group 1s and a Group 3 very often," Meagher said. "She's obviously extremely special."