My Super Girl to start 2019 in dominant form

RETURNING at six and a half furlongs, facing four runners she had behind her at a mile, plus a pair of five-year-olds, Philip Feanny's MY SUPER GIRL should get punters off to a flying start in the opening event for 2019, the New Year's Day Trophy at six and a half furlongs.

MY SUPER GIRL showed off her versatility and improvement in the Seymour 'Foggy' Mullings Memorial two Saturdays ago, narrowly beaten by BRANDY at a mile, her first attempt at a distance exceeding five and a half furlongs.

With the distance cut back by a furlong and a half and Feanny opting for an apprentice, three-kilo claimer Tevin Foster, to replace Oneil Mullings, reducing the filly's 119lb to 112, MY SUPER GIRL is expected to use here superior pace to dominate the event.

DRIVING FINISH

AZARIA, LICI'S PEPSI, ANNA LISA and JACKO LINKS were all lighter than MY SUPER GIRL, who had 117lb when she turned for home chasing United States-bred HARRY'S TRAIN and the colt BAD BOY TRUMP, briefly pointing before losing in a driving finish to BRANDY closing from off the pace.

Traditional New Year's Day co-features, the $1m McKay Security Trophy for $180,000 claimers and the Fan Appreciation Day Trophy, an overnight allowance, both at nine furlongs and 25 yards, should be won by FOOT SOLDIER and DRUMMER BOY, respectively.

FOOT SOLDIER has qualified for the McKay Security Trophy by being a casualty of last season's DaCosta-Nunes trainers' title war, plunged from $350,000 to $180,000, running out a 10-length winner for Nunes at eight and a half furlongs on December 8.

The five-year-old grey was also a comfortable winner on a $250,000 tag in October, proving he is two classes better, having consistently placed among $350,000 company.

DaCosta's DRUMMER BOY is fancied among overnight allowance runners in the Fan Appreciation Day Trophy after prompting the pace to the half-mile in last Saturday's Miracle Man Cup at the exact distance.

After winning last year's Lotto Classic, DRUMMER BOY thereafter endured a torrid season against the best horses in the country, his peers and older horses, lining up in events such as the Saint Cecelia Cup, Superstakes and Diamond Mile.

Though outclassed, DRUMMER BOY performed creditably in all those races and should be rewarded with victory against one of the cheapest fields he has ever faced.