By MIKE DILLON
A $1 million bonus is not enough to entice the Flying Babe camp, even after the best juvenile peformance of the season on Saturday.
Co-trainer Colin Jillings said yesterday that Flying Babe would miss the Wakefield Stakes at Trentham, the first leg of a $1million triple crown.
Flying Babe will start instead in the $70,000 Matamata Breeders Stakes later this month.
The filly's winning performance in the country's richest race, the $500,000 Mercedes Super Bonus Classique on Saturday, was stunning.
The efforts of the minor placegetters Shinnecock and Coup Ray were excellent, but being back in the field and wide in the case of Coup Ray, they were never going to threaten a filly breaking 1:10 in front.
"She had the race won a long way out," said rider Lance O'Sullivan.
On that performance Flying Babe would have beaten any juvenile in the country. The decision not to take on the Wakefield and the two Sires Produce races is based on the stable's determination not to ask the filly for too much.
Jillings said at yesterday's Karaka Select Fillies Sale he did not want to undermine Flying Babe's potential by pushing her into the $1million triple crown.
But he did not rule out the filly tackling one of the Sires Produces races after the Matamata Breeders Stakes.
Although Flying Babe has extreme speed, she gives the impression she will manage the 1400m of the Sires Produce.
Jillings was impressed by the 1200m time of 1:9.85 on Saturday.
"Two-year-olds don't run those sorts of times at Te Rapa. If you assume they run the Sires Produce in 1:24, it gives her a lot of latitude to run the extra 200m."
Lance O'Sullivan is sure Flying Babe will be just as competitive at 1400m.
"She's not just a burner," he says.
The decision not to chase everything availiable is certainly not based on any questions about Flying Babe's consitution.
"She's remarkable, a real tough little darling," enthused Jillings.
"We were laying odds at the races on Saturday that she would eat up her night feed after the races and, sure enough, she did.
"She's a real little whopper, a lovely filly."
Flying Babe's stablemate Headliner will go to the Wakefield.
Racing: Babe too special to risk on bonus
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