Isis Carmella set for Battle Of The Bush campaign

By Glenn Davis

Rockhampton mare Isis Carmella will continue her journey towards the 2023 Battle Of The Bush Final in Brisbane when she heads to Townsville’s Cluden Park on Friday.

Isis Carmella has a 50 per cent winning record, with nine wins from 18 starts, and will line up in a slick field of nine sprinters in the Open Handicap over 1200 metres.

The meeting was originally due to be staged at Bowen but was transferred to Townsville after the track received more than 900mm of rain in January.

Trainer Kevin Miller has mapped out a path to the Battle Of The Bush Final at Eagle Farm in July with Isis Carmella.

Part of the qualifying conditions require horses to have run in five country meetings.

Isis Carmella is coming off a last start second to the Olivia Cairns-trained Fire King over 1075 metres at Thangool on January 14.

“This will be her third run this campaign and it’ll be her fourth country run,” Miller said.

“She needs to run in five so I’ll take her back to Thangool for her fifth country run and then give her a break.

“July is a fair way off so after she has a break she’ll come back into work and we’ll try to win a qualifying race with her at Rockhampton.”

Miller wasn’t disappointed when Isis Carmella went down to arch rival Fire King at her last appearance.

“Fire King is a very good horse and has won more than $280,000 in prize money,” he said.

“She ran against him a few times during their three-year-old years and it’s no disgrace being beaten by him.”

Isis Carmella had a brief campaign in Brisbane with the training partnership of Steven O'Dea and Matthew Hoysted before she returned home to Miller’s stables.

“She’s a funny mare who can get a bit cranky,” he said.

“I don’t think she enjoyed the stable life in Brisbane as she prefers to go out of her stable each day and have a pick in a big paddock for an hour or so.

“I think she was in that cranky mood with Steve.”