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SYDNEY - Star New Zealand mare Seachange will remain in Australia as connections consider more Melbourne stake races and a tilt at the S$3 million ($2.8 million) Singapore International Cup in May.
Seachange banked A$126,000 ($145,000) and further boosted her immense broodmare value with a second placing to Aqua D'Amore in the group one weight-for-age Futurity Stakes (1600m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
It was a fourth group one placing, to go with three group one wins, from 16 starts and nudged her career earnings past A$800,000.
Waikato trainer Ralph Manning said Seachange came through the run well and her flight home was delayed until next weekend as connections consider their options.
One is the Singapore International Cup (2000m) on May 20, meaning Seachange would line up again in Melbourne in a fortnight over 1600m, either a group three A$200,000 mares' race or a group two A$300,000 open class event at Sandown.
"I'd be fairly tempted to stay on but it depends what the owners say," Manning said.
"We don't want to be greedy but while she's here and racing so well ... we'll take a bit of time to have a think about it."
A Singapore trip would also depend on how quarantine regulations impact on Seachange's build-up.
Seachange has raced once over about 2000m for a third placing to Legs in the group one Kelt Capital Stakes (2040m) at Hastings last October.
The other option is the original plan, to fly Seachange home to Cambridge and freshen her for the group one A$300,000 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) for fillies and mares at Morphettville, Adelaide, on April 21.
Manning was "rapt" with Saturday's run as the mares brought about a shock defeat of $1.60 favourite El Segundo.
Seachange, backed in from $11 to $7 on the New South Wales TAB fixed odds market, was parked outside the Gai Waterhouse-trained Aqua D'Amore in a slowly run first 1000m before the leader sprinted home the last 600m in 33.95sec.
With El Segundo battling into third, Seachange briefly looked a winning hope at the 200m but Aqua D'Amore proved too strong for her first win in 14 months after placings in the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate.
Seachange ran a quicker 33.85sec final 600m to win at Caulfield a week earlier but Manning said pre-race rain and the previous week's run may have been a factor.
"We weren't quite good enough," he said.
"We don't normally back her up and that might have taken the edge off her but that winner was very tough.
"I thought she [Aqua D'Amore] might be a perennial placegetter and we might run past her in the straight."
Seachange's jockey, Michael Rodd, said there were no excuses.
"She's just so honest. She went up to Aqua D'Amore and tried her heart out but she [Aqua D'Amore] is a quality mare and she packed too many punches."
- AAP
