Fresh off her win in last Saturday’s Group 1 Tattersall’s Tiara (1400m), Startantes has been offered the first ticket into the second running of The Invitation in the Sydney spring.
Startantes offered spot in The Invitation after Tatts Tiara win
Fresh off her win in last Saturday’s Group 1 Tattersall’s Tiara (1400m), Startantes has been offered the first ticket into the second running of The Invitation in the Sydney spring.
The three-year-old by Star Turn was a deserving Group 1 winner to finish the 2021/22 racing season after multiple placings at the top level in Sydney, so Rob Heathcote will give her a good spell over the next few weeks.
Despite suggesting that a light spring and a trip to Melbourne would be on the cards for Startantes, the invite to run in the $2 million race in Sydney was too good to refuse.
Startantes raced in the inaugural running of The Invitation over 1400m last year, but she failed to beat a runner home following a long and arduous campaign.
It will be a little different this time around, though, with Heathcote looking to go into the race third-up.
Following a run in The Shorts (September 17) over 1100m, Startantes is expected to line up in the Silver Eagle (1300m) three weeks later at Randwick.
All going well, the $891,500 earner will run in The Invitation on October 22 at Randwick, after which she could back up seven days later in the $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens, or head to Melbourne for the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) – a race where she would be eligible for a $1 million bonus should she reign supreme.
Startantes is currently a +2500 chance with Bovada to win the 2022 Golden Eagle on October 29.