Schweida's monster mare primed for Rising Star

By Glenn Davis

Monster mare Maid To Fit is doing everything right ahead of her assignment for the Rising Stars at the Gold Coast on Saturday but her trainer has all but given up hope she’ll be there on Magic Millions day.

Maid To Fit – a Jim Orman mount – will line up for her third start this campaign in the Rising Stars for Fillies & Mares over 1300 metres.

The daughter of Snitzel finished second at her last start behind the Chris Waller-trained Centrestone in a 1200-metre Benchmark race at Eagle Farm last month.

The $725,000 Magic Millions purchase won first-up at her previous start on a heavy track over 1110 metres at Doomben last November and will be at her peak for her Gold Coast mission.

“She’s nominated for the Magic Millions Fillies & Mares race next week and if she gets in somehow she’ll start but she’s only a Class Four horse and she’s unlikely to make the field,” Schweida said.

“There’s a lot of nominations for the race and she’s way down the list.”

Schweida also has Deep Respect in the males’ division of the Rising Star but he’s also unlikely to qualify for the $3 million Magic Millions Guineas next week.

“He probably won’t make it either and I wouldn’t be running him this Saturday if he was a chance of getting in as it would be three runs in as many weeks for him if he made the Guineas.”

However, Schweida still hopes to have a shot at the Magic Millions Guineas with talented three-year-old Weigall Tiger who has started seven times for four wins and two placings.

Schweida has had past success on Magic Millions day winning the Fillies & Mares race with Plain Magic in 2010 while The Odyssey claimed the QTIS Magic Millions in 2021.

Schweida is confident both Maid To Fit and Deep Respect with acquit themselves well in their respective Rising Stars heats.

Maid To Fit is raced by Wilrace Pty Ltd, whose senior owner Darren Wilson has raced many horses with Schweida including the well performed Oink, Cellargirl and Cellarmaid.

Cellargirl was the best of the trio winning three times and was placed in the Group 1 Flight Stakes behind the James Cummings-trained Alizee at Randwick in 2017.

Schweida describes Maid To Fit as a “monster mare” as she stands 16.2 hands.

Maid To Fit is bred in the purple as her mother Perfect Fit won six times from 1000 metres to 1600 metres including her biggest win 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.