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Birchley chases rich bonus payday

26th Jul 2010

Courier Mail - Nathan Exelby - Monday, 26 July 2010

LIAM Birchley will head south in search of another big bonus with promising filly Liesele he regards as a potential Golden Rose candidate.

Liesele will start in the Rosebud (1200m), a race that carries a $100,000 Bonus for Inglis graduates on top of the $42,000 first prize and $20,000 BOBS bonus.

Liesele comes off a last start Grafton win, where she picked up a $50,000 Inglis bonus.

Birchley said this will be a good test to measure whether it's worth pursuing the $1million Golden Rose with the Exceed And Excel filly.

"I'm not sure she will get that far but I think it's worth dipping our toe in the water to find out," Birchley said yesterday.

"She's still immature and might be another prep away yet. Saturday will determine whether we push on or not."

The Eagle Farm trainer was taken with Liesele's last start win, where she also drew praise from winning rider Stathi Katsidis, who described her turn of foot as "amazing".

"They weren't running on at Grafton, but she managed to defy that pattern and the time was good," Birchley said.

"I also think there will be a degree of improvement from that run as well."

Birchley wasn't even aware of the $50,000 bonus until a week before the race and the win continued his good run in similar type races, having won a $250,000 race with Fear No Other last season and then running second to Chance Bye in the $250,000 Inglis Nursery with Slice And Dice in December.

"I only spoke to the owners a week before to find out if she was eligible for it and they weren't sure either," Birchley said of Liesele, who was passed in for $75,000 as a yearling and retained to race by the Hudson family of Lustre Lodge.

Liesele will clash with Gai Waterhouse's boom debut winner Crossbow and Group 1-placed Sasa in the Rosebud. Golden Slipper runner-up Decision Time is also among the nominations.

Saturday's Bletchingly Stakes at Caulfield, featuring the return of AJC Derby winner Shoot Out, has attracted 12 nominations.

John Wallace has chosen the 1200m Group 3 as the starting point for his dual Group 1 winner's spring campaign. Three other Group 1 winners have been nominated – Douro Valley, Mr Baritone and Velocitea.

The Mick Price-trained Velocitea will press for favouritism should she start. A last start winner of the Group 1 Sangster Stakes, the Volksraad mare put together two fast wins over the Caulfield 1200m to begin her autumn preparation.

Photo: by Trackside Photography