One of last season’s top local juveniles, Zany Girl, opened her three-year-old season in fine style at Hobart last Sunday, defeating older horses in a benchmark 72 handicap over 1000 metres.
The Needs Further filly was a clear last out of the gates under Anthony Darmanin and still appeared too far back early in the straight but displayed a neat turn of foot to score impressively.
The Stuart Gandy-prepared filly has now won four from six and placed on the other two occasions.
She’s likely to be set for the Atlantic Jewel Stakes at The Valley on September 6.
Zany Girl’s win gave Gandy a double at the meeting as he’d won earlier with another promising three-year-old filly, Geegees Missile, who led throughout under Troy Baker to clear maiden ranks over 1100 metres first up off a seven-month break.
The daughter of Wordsmith is bred to be good, being a full sister to Gandy’s stable star Geegees Mistruth. She is likely to have a brief let-up before targeting the coming Tasmanian three-year-old features.
Mistruth won a trial at the same track the following day and is also headed across Bass Strait, to target the Cockram Stakes at Caulfield on August 30.
Now a four-year-old mare, she performed well without winning as a filly in Victoria last spring, placing in the Quezette, Champagne and 1000 Guineas Prelude before unplaced runs in the Vanity and 1000 Guineas.