Gold Coast trainer Toby Edmonds is chasing Group 2 glory on his home track with Spicy Martini
Veteran jockey Jeff Lloyd, at age 55 and in his first ride in the rich juvenile feature, steered then filly Houtzen to a $1.2 million payday for Edmonds and connections in the 2YO Classic in 2017.
Now Edmonds, in partnership with co-trainer Stephen McLean, is eyeing the $200,000 Group 3 Gold Coast Guineas (1200m) on Saturday and then hopefully her grand final, the $3m Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 14.
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Spicy Martini, which has won three of her four races, can stake her claims as a Stradbroke contender on Saturday but with a rating of 83, she will need to win the Group 3 Fred Best Classic (1400m) at Eagle Farm on May 31 to score a ticket into Queensland's most prestigious race.
'That's always been our goal (the Stradbroke) but we'll take it race by race,' said Edmonds, who won the 2020 Stradbroke with Tyzone.
'Even if she gets beaten on the weekend we'll monitor the run, get the form done and see if it's worthwhile heading that way or we don't.
'I think she'd be well weighted in a Stradbroke.'
Edmonds is heartened by the fact that a three-year-old filly could make such a powerful impact in the Stradbroke given what Bjorn Baker's mare Stefi Magnetica pulled off last year when she beat Bella Nipotina and Vilana in a nail-biter at $16 odds.
'If you look at Stefi Magnetica's form from last year, she was only placed in a Group 1 (Surround Stakes) and got a start,' he said.
'This filly has won two stakes races now and she's got enough prizemoney so hopefully everything maps out OK.
'Whatever she picks up on the way through is a bonus.'
Kyle Wilson-Taylor retains the ride on Spicy Martini after they combined to win two Listed races - the Mode Plate (1200m) at Doomben in late November and the Mick Dittman Plate (1000m) on a soft track at Eagle Farm on April 26.
Spicy Martini is a $7 chance to jag the Gold Coast Guineas from barrier one, behind favourite Emirate ($4.40), Wanaruah ($5), Zoubaby and Editing (both $6).
She thrives with the sting out of the ground which should help on Saturday given the unpredictable Gold Coast track is likely to be rated a Soft 7.
Edmonds paid just $8000 for Spicy Martini, out of Justify (USA), in an online sale and the filly has already racked up $341,000 in prizemoney.
'She's got a couple of good attributes. She has a good pedigree firstly,' Edmonds said.
'Secondly she's a good gate horse. She can be up on the speed or we can ride her quietly.
'She's got a lot of different attributes and she's versatile. If there's too much speed we can come back off and if there's no speed we can take it up and control it.'
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