CITY FIRST-TIMER KELL'S RECONNAISSANCE MISSION

IT’S his first city runner – and Hawkesbury trainer Darryll Kell is leaving nothing to chance.

Kell will run his Provincial-Midway Championships Finalist Mahogany Girl (above) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, and made a special trip to the track this afternoon to make sure he knows where to go come raceday.

Chad Lever continues a successful association on the mare, who has made a brilliant return to racing after having a foal (pictured below), in the Midway Benchmark 72 Handicap (1300m).

Mahogany Girl qualified for the $1m PMC Final (1400m) at Royal Randwick on April 2 by winning a heat at home over the same distance on March 8.

“It meant a gap of five weeks to the Final, and I felt it was too long without another run,” Kell said this afternoon after returning from his reconnaissance mission.

“I guess I’m playing the percentages by running her on Saturday, and it could be the worst decision of my life.

“But Mahogany Girl is such a good doer that I didn’t want to risk going to the Final and finding she wasn’t quite at her top.

“She has a good constitution, and a good set of pipes.

“I have done a bit of work with her since she won the Qualifier at home, and her last two gallops have been sharp.

“By racing on Saturday, we’ve still got two weeks to the Final.”

Former harness racing devotee Kell has done an outstanding job with Mahogany Girl, who was off the scene for two and a half years after debuting on a heavy track when third in a Maiden Plate (1200m) against her own sex at Wagga in January 2022.

She gave birth to a colt by Peltzer before being given to Kell to prepare for another campaign, and he hasn’t missed a beat with her.

From eight starts, he has won four races with her and she has been placed three times and finished fifth at her only unplaced run.

Mahogany Girl has 60.5kg to carry on Saturday because of her first-class provincial form (she beat dual city winner Well Timed in the Hawkesbury Qualifier), and her trainer is not too concerned about the prospect of rain.

“I really have to run her, and at least she will get first crack at the track being the opener (12.30pm) of 10 races,” he said.

“She doesn’t have to lead to win, but is very hard to get past whenever she takes up the running.”

Wyong trainer Kim Waugh has already qualified two horses (Bojangles and Mogul Monarch) for the PMC Final, and took confidence from the latter’s tough Kensington victory this afternoon.

Ridden by Wyong apprentice Anna Roper, Mogul Monarch had to work in the Benchmark 72 Handicap (1400m) and yet tenaciously held on to take a deceptive finish by a whisker from a late-finishing Canara ($8).

“I would have settled for a dead-heat,” Waugh said.

“Mogul Monarch’s three previous wins were all at 1100m and he has been placed at 1200m, and now we know he can run 1400m.”

Waugh, attempting to win her first PMC Final, goes into the April 12 feature with two excellent chances as Bojangles, after qualifying when runner-up to Rapt in the opening 1400m heat at Hawkesbury on February 25, was a strong second to Les Vampires in a Saturday Benchmark 88 Handicap (1400m) at Rosehill on March 15.

. Newcastle trainer Nathan Doyle, following his maiden Group 1 triumph with Private Harry at Rosehill last Saturday, will try to qualify The Extreme Cat (apprentice Braith Nock) in Saturday’s Wild Card (1350m) at Wyong.

The three placegetters win the remaining spots in the 15-horse PMC Final field.

Story John Curtis, March 26, 2025 - Pics Bradley Photos