Schweida hopes Sunrays can shine in Jewel Prelude

By Glenn Davis  

Eagle Farm trainer Kelly Schweida is hopeful of snaring another QTIS Jewel Prelude, this time with unbeaten filly Sunrays.

Sunrays – a Cejay Graham mount – is chasing a hat-trick of wins in the QTIS Jewel Prelude for two-year-old fillies at Doomben on Saturday.

However, she is ineligible for next month’s $500,000 QTIS Jewel Final at the Gold Coast as her sire Hellbent is based interstate.

“The Prelude is open to any horse but she’s by an interstate sire so she can’t run in the QTIS Jewel Final,” Schweida said.

Sunrays was bred by Peter Moran who formerly ran Noble Park stud at Beaudesert which produced some of the state’s top sires in Mossman along with Success Express.

Sunrays was untroubled winning on debut over 1110 metres at Doomben in late January before a similar victory over the same trip on February 8.

Schweida loves nothing better than executing long-range plans and is hopeful Sunrays can make her way to the Queensland Racing Carnival.

While Sunrays may not be QTIS registered, Schweida has a great record in QTIS features.

Star performer The Odyssey claimed the $1 million Magic Millions QTIS Open Handicap, the $300,000 QTIS Jewel 3YO and the $500,000 QTIS Jewel 2YO in three straight years.

“She’s a progressive filly but there’s a lot of unknowns up against her this week,” Schweida said.

“Her last win was very good but she’s still green and does a few things wrong. But, she’s a big scopey filly and looks more like a three-year-old.”

Sunrays is a granddaughter of former top sprinter Staging. 

Staging did not win at the highest level from 15 attempts.

Staging finished second twice in the then Group 1 Sires’ Produce Stakes at Eagle Farm in 1997 and second behind Queensland great Chief De Beers in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 in 1998.

Staging since went on to be a star in the broodmare barn producing Group 1 BTC Cup winner Duporth as well as Excites. 

Another of her progeny Tickets also placed twice at Group 1 level in the Sires’ Produce and Champagne Stakes in 2009.

In the colts and geldings division of the QTIS Jewel Prelude, only one horse, the Liam Birchley-trained Betterlucknexttime, has been successful.

The son of Zousain won his first two starts at Doomben in October last year before finishing fourth to Sunrays over 1110 metres at the same track on February 8.

Betterlucknexttime was Birchley’s first two-year-old winner of the season and was cheap $3,750 buy as a weanling.

Birchley will also saddle Jaggery who has placed at his past two starts at the Sunshine Coast and Doomben.

The Robert Heathcote-trained Pretty Dubious is the only other placegetter in the field, which consists of five debutants.