Preview: Stirling Osland confident stunning debut winner Calico Miss can repeat the dose at Quirindi

News.com.au11-05-2025

ONE of the most impressive debut winners in the Northwest region so far this year will strive to make the quantum leap from a maiden to a Class 1 when she returns to Quirindi on Monday.
Calico Miss, a Scone-bred, Armidale housed three-year-old filly, landed some substantial wagers when she burst away from her nine rivals to win her 1200m Maiden debut on April 29.
'She is a very nice horse,'' Osland said.
'We thought we would run her on New Year's Day but she went a bit shinny so she went to the paddock.
'We always thought she was a nice horse.
'She works well and does everything right, I thought she raced pretty tractably at her first start and didn't do a lot wrong in the running.
'She put herself everywhere she needed to be.'
Calico Miss was given the perfect steer by prolific winning jockey Mikayla Weir at Quirindi 12-days ago.
She'll need an even better ride this time given Calico Miss swaps barrier one for 13 which has unsettled her trainer somewhat.
'I'm still a little undecided given the sticky draw at Quirindi whether we go around there or go to Scone on Friday where there is a Class 1 on Cup Day,'' Osland said.
'If there are a few scratchings and the draw looks a bit more favourable, we'll go around at Quirindi but if it holds as it is, we'll be going around at Scone.
'I just get a little bit worried, Quirindi being a tight track, that being drawn wide and lightly-raced, we can get ourselves beaten by bad luck rather than ability.'
Calico Miss is a long way off retirement but is sure to become a valued and welcome member of the elite Ramsey Pastoral broodmare band when the time comes.
The filly is one of only 20 foals sired by Better Land which was narrowly beaten in the Rosebud and Up And Coming Stakes early on his career.
Better Land's dam, Amelia's Dream, will forever be remembered as 'the Golden Slipper winner that wasn't' given her sensational withdrawal from the 2008 juvenile feature in the wake of her epic six-lengths win in the Silver Slipper.
On top of that, Calico Miss can lay claim to being a member of one the most influential female families in the Australia Stud Book.
All of its ongoing success can be traced directly to the Grand Chaudiere mare, Easy Date, whose four stakes-winners include the two fillies. Asawir and True Blonde, as a Apollo Stakes winner Quick Score and Max Lees' Champion Sprinter and later Champion Sire, Snippets.
Meanwhile, Osland and Weir will combine early on the Quirindi card today when and where Skit 'N' Skat contests the Jockey Club Maiden Plate over 1450m.
The five-year-old had his first three career starts under the care of John O'Shea, finishing second at Kembla on debut.
His last start for O'Shea was an eye-catching, closing fourth, at Goulburn almost 12 months to the day that he made his Osland stable debut at his new home at Armidale.
'It looked he needed the run bad and was carrying a heap of weight,'' Osland said.
'He travelled nice then his legs got heavy and he blew out so obviously a couple of weeks between runs will tighten him up a bit so he should improve.
'He's got a sticky draw at Quirindi which doesn't but I am definitely heaps happier with him.'