Monster mare Maid To Fit chasing hat-trick at Ipswich

By Glenn Davis

Trainer Kelly Schweida is confident giant filly Maid To Fit can continue the stable’s good fortunes this season at Ipswich on Wednesday.

Maid To Fit – a James Orman mount – is chasing a hat-trick of wins in the Benchmark 68 Handicap over 1350 metres.

The daughter of Snitzel broke her maiden status over 1200 metres at Doomben on August 30 before a commanding win at the same track in a 1350 metre Class 1 event at her last appearance on September 13.

Maid To Fit was a $725,000 buy at the Gold Coast Magic Millions sales in 2021 and is out of the Group 1-winning New Zealand mare Perfect Fit, who won six times from 1000 metres to 1600 metres.

Perfect Fit’s biggest win was in the Group 1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes at Te Aroha in 2016.

She also won at Group 2 level and was placed in the Group 1 Railway Stakes at Ellerslie and Group 1 Telegraph at Trentham in 2017.

“Her owners have raced a few horses with me including Oink and Cellarmaid,” Schweida.

“She’s a monster filly and would probably stand about 16.2 hands.

“We’re just going through the grades with her at the moment as she’s still learning to gallop which sounds like a weird thing to say as she’s already had seven starts."

Schweida believes Maid To Fit will be hard to beat again but is wary she's making her Ipswich debut.

“Ipswich can be a tricky track if the false rail is out,” he said.

Schweida admits to being disappointed with his performance in last season’s Brisbane trainers’ premiership.

He finished ninth with only 22 wins behind Tony Gollan who topped the leader board with 140.5 wins.

However, in the current season, Schweida has already trained 12 winners to be second behind Gollan with 23 wins.

“I had a shocker last season,” Schweida said.

“Nothing hit the mark that should have but this season has been good so far.

“The only problem is I’m getting down on numbers and I’m running out of ammo.”