Innovation Girl Too Classy For Rivals
By Greg Irvine of Cyberhorse 17/08/02

Innovation Girl is likely to set up a mouth watering clash with the brilliant colt Bel Esprit after she scored an impressive win in today’s listed William Crockett Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley.

The high class daughter of the booked out Victorian stallion Rubiton also earned herself a red card for the unique Moonee Valley circuit after failing to handle the track.

"We’ll try and keep away from here (Moonee Valley) now," her trainer Brian Mayfield-Smith said after the win. "Even the day she won here earlier in her career she didn’t really handle the track."

Beaten only once in her career (in a photo finish by Yell) Innovation Girl showed she was on track for a successful spring by scoring a comprehensive win in the Group Three Dermody Stakes in Adelaide three weeks ago.

Mayfield-Smith was impressed with the filly’s win in the $80,500 race.

"She had an ordinary start and was very wide early," he said. "She then worked into the race well, so it was a pretty good win really."

The filly is likely to head toward the Group Two Ascot Vale Stakes a week after the McNeil.

"I’d like to run her a week before the Ascot Vale just to toughen her up a bit," Mayfield-Smith added.

Future plans for the filly will involve her having to step up in distance and for that fact the filly will have a significant gear change at her next start.

"We’ll take the blinkers off her now," Mayfield-Smith added. "She should then be able to settle better in her races and get over a longer distance."

After being caught wide early Innovation Girl managed to work her way up to third place just behind the leaders by the home turn. Despite laying out and having to change legs in the straight she managed to close the gap on the Sydney filly Before Too Long and then grab her in the shadows of the post to win by a half neck.

The runner-up Before too Long will be sent back to Sydney by her trainer Gary Portelli and next run in the Heritage Stakes before ultimately returning to Moonee Valley for the Group Two Moet & Chandon Champagne Stakes.