Oscietra need no longer expend any energy trying to duplicate the undefeated career of her mum, Black Caviar, as she failed to win her first real race in her first-up start at Flemington.
Trainer David Hayes, analyzing the performance, observed that Oscierta seemed to have wandered down the final straight, even though she showed excellent speed at the start. Had she been able to sustain that speed, Hayes said, the outcome would have been far more favourable.
The race was a 1000 metre sprint and Oscietra did manage to finish third, so at some point in the future, we may be saying that she never failed to place, which is something, even if less than to say she was undefeated.
True, Oscietra seems more a victim of expectations than anything else, and perhaps getting that weight off her from the outset could prove to be a boon.
She was beaten by Darren Weir’s Limestone that, along with Miss Wahoo, prepared by Tony McEvoy, that spoiled Oscietra’s debut, so it was not as though she was beaten by claimers used to fill out a field.
Hayes was coy regarding Oscietra’s next outing, but seemed to rule out the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes. Jockey Luke Nolen was measured in his evaluation of the little filly’s run, but she did seem to tire when up against formidable competition.
