Racing: Keep The Peace needs Oz form

Keep The Peace will be ridden today by gun Kiwi apprentice James McDonald. Photo / APN

The Australian racing people haven't seen the best of her really.Shaune Ritchie Cambridge mare Keep The Peace will be out to live up to her homeland form when she resumes in the group two Let's Elope Stakes at Flemington today.

The triple group one winner, prepared by Shaune Ritchie, has won six of her 14 starts and been placed another six times in New Zealand but has just the one placing from three outings in Australia.

The Keeper 5-year-old has a good fresh record having won twice and been placed twice from four runs.

"The Australian racing people haven't seen the best of her really," Ritchie said on Thursday.

"We brought her over here at the back of campaigns and it hasn't really worked for us at all.

"She has failed twice in Sydney but I thought her Matriarch run last year was a good run.

"She came home her last 600m quicker than Wall Street did when he won the Emirates that same day."

The mare was third to Well Rounded in the Matriarch Stakes (2000m) at Flemington last spring before going out for a spell.

"If she ran up to that she'd be awfully hard to beat [today] but she's tended not to bring her best form to Australia," Ritchie told Radio Sport National. "She's been purchased by some breeding interests and they're obviously keen to get some heavy black type in Australia so we are just hoping she brings her New Zealand form because if she does that she's a fantastic mare."

Keep The Peace is nominated for the Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 22 but Ritchie believes she will be best placed kept fresh for races at 1400m and 1600m.

She finished last to Zavite in the Ranvet Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill two starts back, while at her last run as a 3-year-old she was 12th to Shoot Out in the AJC Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick.

The start before that she recorded her first group one win in the NZ Oaks (2400m) at Trentham and first-up the following preparation landed the Mudgway Stakes (1400m) from Wall Street at Hastings last August.

Second-up last preparation Keep The Peace won the Haunui Farm Stakes (1600m) at Otaki in February, again from Wall Street.

Keep The Peace, who drew out in barrier 13 in the 16-horse field, will be ridden by gun Kiwi apprentice James McDonald who has won four races on her including two group ones.

Ritchie said the mare would run in the Rose Of Kingston Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on October 2 leading up to her ultimate spring aim, the group one Myer Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Derby Day.

Keep The Peace was at $12 on Thursday, a price she shares with Central Districts mare Barinka, with TAB Sportsbet which has Parables favourite at $4 ahead of Biancon Rose ($5), Cockram Stakes winner Mid Summer Music ($7) with Pinker Pinker at $8 and Zaira at $9.50.

- AAP