Tyresa looking to ride The Wave into Magic Millions

By Andrew Smith

A jump to 1800 metres won’t bother Tyresa in The Wave at the Gold Coast, according to trainer Kelly Schweida.

Despite finishing fifth in the City to Surf Plate on December 24, Schweida is confident the three-year-old will handle the step up from the 1600m that day to the longer distance on Saturday.

“We’ve gone to the 1800m race on Saturday light with the 51 kgs and she’s drawn an alley so she needs to behave herself in the gates and step away but she’s certainly going good and she looks good,” Schweida said.

“Jockey Larry Cassidy that rides her, he’s confident that she will but they’ve been wrong before and so have I.

“So you really don’t know until you get there but her pattern the way she is and she’s always strong late so you would think it would suit her.”

Schweida always believed the filly would develop into more of a stayer as her career progressed, despite a disappointing ninth in the J.J. Atkins in last year’s Winter Racing Carnival.

“She’s pretty well bred, she hasn’t really got that in her pedigree but she’s a big girl,” he said.

“(In the J.J. Atkins) she struck a little bit of trouble and got beaten three lengths, she probably should have got beaten by two lengths.

“I would think the longer distance would suit her and every indication is she appears to be doing her best work late.”

Tyresa will start from barrier one, with favourite Thalassophile drawing 12 and the Tony Gollan-trained Ashgrove starting from eight.

Whether Tyresa pushes on to the Subzero on Magic Millions day will be determined on how she fares on Saturday.

“She’s in two races – we either back off and take her to the beach for a week or we just give her a light week so it depends on how she goes…she has to behave herself,” Schweida said.

“It’s probably one of the main reasons she’s in it, it’s a $145,000 winner plus it’s a $200,000 bonus to the winner so it’s great money with $345,000 for the win.”

Tyresa stablemate Miss Hipstar is also gearing up for a big race day on January 14, nominating for the Magic Millions Fillies and Mares and the Magic Millions Snippets.

“We’re going to try and ride her a little bit, her first run she won and then her next one at Eagle Farm was quite good when she drew bad,” Schweida said.

“I was a little bit disappointed Saturday (Magic Millions Nudgee Stakes) - she was a little bit tardy out of the gates and then she just got pulling a bit hard.

“We’ve taken the blinkers off or visors off and will endeavour to ride her a little bit quiet.

“She’s been a good filly to us, she’s won Listed races and Group 2 or Group 3 placed so she’ll go to the fillies race 1300 and we’ll ride her quiet without the blinkers on.”