Isis Carmella ready for Battle Of The Bush decider

By Glenn Davis

Rockhampton trainer Kevin Miller is hoping it won’t be a case of déjà vu when talented mare Isis Carmella returns to Brisbane for the Battle Of The Bush Final at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Miller sent Isis Camilla south for a Brisbane campaign at the start of last year where she was stabled with co-trainers Steven O'Dea and Matthew Hoysted at Eagle Farm.

However, Isis Camilla never settled in to her Brisbane surroundings and only started twice before Miller ended her campaign and returned home.

She won on a heavy track at her first appearance for O'Dea and Hoysted at the Sunshine Coast in January last year but then struggled at Doomben a month later.

“I don’t think she enjoyed the stable life in Brisbane when she was down there at the start of last year,” Miller said.

“The longer she’s away from home the crankier she gets.

“She’s still at home in Rockhampton where she can get out in a day yard and she’ll go to Brisbane a few days before the race.”

After her Brisbane trip, the daughter of Bel Esprit returned for her next campaign, winning twice at Mackay and Rockhampton last winter, and made a second one-off trip to Brisbane, finishing a game sixth at Eagle Farm in August last year.

“A few things didn’t go her way the last time she raced at Eagle Farm but it was a good run,” Miller said.

Miller then set about trying to qualify her for the Battle Of The Bush Final over 1200 metres and needed to find five country meetings to meet the strict qualifying criteria.

After finishing second at Thangool in January, Isis Carmella won over 1200 metres at Townsville on February 3 and had further starts without winning at Monto, Rockhampton, Emerald and Gladstone.

Isis Carmella is coming off a dominant victory over 1200 metres at Bowen on June 3 and has drawn awkwardly in barrier 12 with Brisbane ace Ben Thompson set to ride her.

“It was a pretty good win at Bowen last start and I thought she would have won at Gladstone the start before but she had too much weight when she ran second,” he said.

“She gets in good at the weights in The Battle Of The Bush with 58kgs.”

Miller believes the Battle Of The Bush is wide open and rates Theresabearinthere as the main danger along with Mister Larrabee, one of two runners from the John Manzelmann stable.

Theresabearinthere won three straight in North West Queensland before blotting his copybook with a last start sixth over 1000 metres at Toowoomba on Saturday.

Mister Larrabee won at Gladstone in May before a last start seventh to Ready For Magic in a 1200 metre Benchmark race at Mackay on June 8.

“Mister Larrabee looks a pretty good horse and he’s a big chance if he steps away,” Miller said.