Peter Excited with Return of Stable Star

Talented filly Craicaro could well prove to be the horse good enough to take Wulguru trainer Peter Cullen south for a crack at Brisbane racing.

The promising filly will kick off her 2024 campaign at Cluden Park tomorrow and is a leading fancy in the Georgie Holt Trainer of the Year 3yo Hcp (1200m).

Cullen, who trains Craicaro with his wife Lauren, has patiently plotted the filly’s return through the heat and wet of the past few months on the way to tomorrow’s QTIS race.

“I honestly think she’s hard enough to be there. I thought she was ready to go a month ago but with the rain and the soft tracks we wanted to take a bit more time with her,” Cullen said of the three time winner.

“It’s her first run back and we missed a bit of work, but with the right sort of run I think she’s a big chance.

“All I want is to see her have a nice return. If she runs in the first three that’ll be great and if she wins it’ll be a bonus.

“I just think we’ll take it race by race. There’s no big plan with her.

“I think she’s Brisbane material but we’ll just take it a step at a time. Laurel and I think she’s a pretty talented filly so we want to give her every possible chance.”

Craicaro, named after her owner Carol Dietrich and her late husband Craig, was a $25,000 purchase at the 2022 Gold Coast Magic Millions sale and has already landed three wins from eight starts.

The Press Statement filly is the first foal out the Northern Meteor mare Light Mover, the mother of Gilded Light which in turn produced NZ Oaks winner Midnight Oil.

Craicaro, the star of the Cullens’ small team, was an instant hit at the races.

She showed an abundance of raw talent to win on debut at Cluden last January, after bombing the start and giving the leaders a long start.

The flighty filly has since won another two lucrative QTIS races at Cluden against her own age but Cullen is convinced the best is yet to come.

She showed she was right on track for her return with a rousing 850m barrier trial win at Cluden on February 21 with race jockey Frank Edwards in the saddle.

“Frank came back and said she did it so easily. He rode her again in some work and was really taken by her so I asked him to ride her in this race now that he knows her little tricks.

“She can miss the kick, but once she gets to know you she’s smooth sailing all the way through.

“I thought Frank might struggle to get down to the 57kg but he said he’d make it without a doubt because she goes really good.”

A win by Craicaro would strike another blow for women in racing on a day when Cluden Park will celebrate International Women’s Day.

Much travelled jockey and popular racing personality Samantha Collett is the club’s guest speaker and has taken a full book of seven rides.

The club has also named three races in recognition of Georgie Holt, Lacey Morrison and Isabella Teh who for the first time gave women a clean sweep in the trainers’, senior jockeys’ and apprentice jockeys’ premierships in Townsville for the 2022/23 season.

Meanwhile, rising star Demon Award will be out to put his path to the winter carnival back on line when he tackles the Ladbrokes Mates Mode Open Hcp (1400m).

The Shamus Award gelding suffered a shock defeat last start as a short priced favourite after setting a sizzling pace in front.

He will rise to 1400 and open company for the first time but has been installed favourite in a small field that includes He’s Exceptional, Miss Seattle, and Mystery ‘N’ Magic.

Pictured: Craicaro clears out to a big win on Townsville Cup Day last year. She returns from a spell at Cluden on tomorrow’s International Women’s Day meeting.

See the racing calendar for upcoming race days.