Potential Group 1 swansong for Midnight in Tokyo
Midnight In Tokyo will attempt to give trainer Todd Pollard his first Group 1 victory in Saturday’s Tattersall’s Tiara at Eagle Farm, just four months after he began training in his own right.
The New Zealand-born horseman spent several years as foreman for Annabel and Rob Archibald before establishing his own Brisbane stable in February.
Pollard celebrated his first stakes success when Midnight In Tokyo won the Listed Hinkler Handicap at Eagle Farm on June 13.
The mare was accepted for both the Tattersall’s Tiara and the Group 3 Healy Stakes, with connections opting for the Group 1 despite drawing barrier 18 compared to gate nine in the Healy.
“She’s not favoured by the draw in the Tatt’s Tiara, but it could be her only chance to run in a Group 1,” Pollard told Racing Queensland.
“I’m not sure how we’ll ride her yet and I’ll leave that up to her rider Ryan Maloney, but she’ll either go back or go forward and nowhere in the middle.
“There’s a lot of speed in the Healy, so it wasn’t an easy decision to go for the Group 1.”
Pollard said plans for Midnight In Tokyo beyond Saturday would be determined after the race, with options including a spring campaign in Sydney, racing on for another season or a move to the breeding barn.
