Coco Sun Afforded Early Season Protection

In an effort not to throw her into the deep end at the outset of her spring campaign, racing.com reports that trainer Tony McEvoy plans to avoid a showdown with a couple of seasoned weight-for-age contenders early in Coco Sun's campaign. Instead, he's targeting a race on the Memsie Stakes undercard to start her spring. Coco Sun (The Autumn Sun-Miss Hufflepuff, by Encosta de Lago), who impressed with a placing in the Australasian Oaks and a win in the Group 1 South Australian Derby last season, has the Caulfield Cup as a major goal. McEvoy, who trains in partnership with his son Calvin, is pleased with the mare's progress. "She's coming along really nicely," McEvoy noted. "We're very happy with her and are likely to start her in the Benchmark 100, 1400-metre race next Saturday to begin her campaign. She'll also have an entry for the Memsie Stakes, but I'd prefer not to run her first-up against the Pride Of Jennys and Mr Brightsides. We'll probably start in the Benchmark race and build her spring from there." If all goes according to plan, McEvoy aims to elevate Coco Sun to top-level competition after that. "If she returns as well as we expect, she'll move to the Underwood second-up, the Caulfield Stakes third-up, and then on to the Caulfield Cup," he said. Coco Sun is one of several exceptional last season 3YOs by Arrowfield's rising star stallion The Autumn Sun who will miss the 2024 breeding season due to an injury.