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The three big guns of Canberra's Barbara Joseph-Paul Jones stable have been sent to the spelling paddock to freshen up for a tilt at the Melbourne Spring.
Photo by Racing and Sports
Fill The Page, Onthelookout and Delabombell are on a much-deserved break following brilliant autumn campaigns, and Jones is eyeing a spring campaign south of the border for all three of his stars.
Jones said Fill The Page would be aimed at the Group 2 Let's Elope Stakes (1400m) in September, a race the stable won nine years a go with Ain't Seen Nothin'.
The four-year-old mare grabbed four wins over a lengthy campaign which began in October, culminating in the stable's maiden Canberra Cup triumph on Black Opal Stakes Day in March.
Onthelookout meanwhile will also likely get his shot in Melbourne, but it'll be later in the carnival.
“We'll probably target something down in the spring down in Melbourne, maybe a 1400m open handicap on Melbourne Cup day or Oaks day or Emirates day,” Jones said.
“The owners want a week down in Melbourne around that time.”
The Canberra sprinter has continued his excellent career form this year, winning at Warwick Farm in February and running second in the listed National Sprint (1400m) on his home track.
His last start netted a third placing in the Wagga Town Plate (1200m).
“He pulled up a little bit jarred up after the Wagga carnival and he'd virtually been in work since mid last year, we'd only given him a couple of let-ups,” Jones said.
“He's earned himself a break. After he didn't pull up after Wagga he went to the paddock and he'll have eight weeks in the paddock.”
The stable had intended to race Delabombell into the Sydney winter, but aborted those plans after she could only manage a ninth placing at Rosehill on the weekend.
Just two starts prior she won in open grade at Caulfield.
“Just on the day I could tell she wasn't quite there for us and she didn't come up,” Jones said.
“We're looking forward to actually giving her a little break now. We'll have a look and see what races are around [in Melbourne] but keep her in the fillies and mares grade.”
Up-and-comer Caprossa will fly the Joseph-Jones flag at Randwick on Sunday looking to extend her perfect career run to three in the No-Metro-Wins Handicap (1200m).
The three-year-old heads into the race off back-to-back wins at Wagga, and Jones expected her to handle the jump to metropolitan class.
“She's had two starts for two wins and there was a lot of merit in her last win at the Wagga carnival where she was held up the majority of the race but got out with fifty metres to go and took a fair bit of ground off the horses to get up and win,” Jones said.
“She's earned her shot in Sydney.”