BLUE CHIP GIRL GIVES A QUICK RETURN ON INVESTMENT

By Graham Potter | Saturday, August 17, 2024

Blue Chip Girl became the third successive winner for the Corey and Kylie Geran training partnership to win in its first outing for the stable ... a notable, positive trait for which the stable is now well known.

Blue Chip Girl came into the Geran yard from trainer Matt Laurie as a one-time winner from twelve starts, but the five-year-old mare also had claimed no less than five runner-up finishes and two third places during that time, suggesting that the daughter of American Pharoah possibly had some latent ability that had yet to be brought to the fore.

GG Racing took the punt and were immediately rewarded when Blue Chip Girl claimed a Class 1 Plate over 1300m at Toowoomba on August 17 in her first start for seven-and-a-half months.

Landan Sykes jumped Blue Chip Girl ($3.90) well enough from pole position, but with several runners to his outside looking to spear across, Sykes let that speed go and settled the Geran trained runner in sixth place, a touch worse than midfield in the first half of the race.

Always saving ground along the rail, Sykes had Bue Chip Girl up to third place when the field turned for home, but the mare was now in a bit of trouble in terms of finding a run, right on the heels of the leaders but boxed in by runners to her outside.

At that stage Blue Chip Girl needed something to go her way ... and, as importantly, she needed the resolve to be able to take advantage of the break when it came her way, and both of those factors aligned approaching the 150m mark.

First Social Star ($7), who was contesting the lead, shifted out marginally. That offered Blue Chip Girl a gap inbetween runners ... a narrow one at first which then widened ... and Sykes and Blue Chip Girl needed nu second asking as they pounced on the opportunity, quickly hitting the front.

The $16 outsider Booga Ray came with Blue Chip Girl, racing strongly down the centre of the track but, in the end, Blue Chip Girl was not going to be denied, getting home by a 0.50 length margin.

More articles