Trainer Kelly Schweida has had mixed luck this summer but hopes it is on an upward swing for Lady Lancaster at Doomben.
Lady Lancaster is among a host of two-year-olds aiming to qualify for the $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic on January 11 at the Gold Coast.
At her first start, Lady Lancaster was fourth behind Millions second favourite The Drinks Cart at the Gold Coast and a win in the QTIS Two-Year-Old (1200m) would have her well on the way to a Classic start.
Lady Lancaster was bred by former Racing Queensland chairman Kevin Dixon and she is raced by an all-female syndicate headed by Dixon’s wife Linda.
The Magic Millions Classic carries $500,000 bonus prize money to be split by the first four horses owned by female syndicates.
Schweida trained Lady Lancaster’s dam Rightful Lady for Dixon.
“Lancaster Lady isn’t very big and this probably isn’t the right race for her. But there was nothing much else around for her,” he said.
“I thought her run at the Gold Coast was good and I thought she should have run at least third.
“The first two are being talked about as Millions chances so it was encouraging.”
Schweida has lost top sprinter Meet Mr Taylor for the summer after the gelding needed a bone chip operation.
On the reverse side, three-year-old The Odyssey showed he was ready for a big summer with an 8-1/2 length win in a Doomben barrier trial on Tuesday.