Empire City is on the ASCENT at Addington tonight

By Michael Guerin

Don’t let Empire City’s lack of trials put you off her in tonight’s $60,000 Macca Lodge Sires’ Stakes Classique at Addington (6.48pm).

The high class three-year-old filly hasn’t been seen since Alexandra Park in May but trainer Phil Williamson says she is ready to go.

The country's highest-rated young trotter faces starting from the outside of the front line in the 1980m mobile, something which irks Williamson who doesn’t think group races for young trotters should have preferential draws. But he can’t control that. What he can control is how ready Empire City is and he says he devised a “meticulous plan” to have her fit.

“We are lucky that we have horses she can work with at home to get her ready enough without trials,” says Williamson.

“So I worked on that plan and believe me, she is good enough to work with any of my best trotters.

“So she is ready. She is fit and I won’t be using that as an excuse.”

Williamson says it is now up to Empire City to prove she is still the best three-year-old trotter in the country, a title which is no gimme as other smart youngsters start to emerge.

“There are some really nice horses around and a filly in this race (Four Wise Women) who is unbeaten in three starts.

“And then looking further down the track to the slot race we could have Keayang Zahara come over from Australia and she might be at another level."

The first ever $500,000 THE ASCENT slot race for the three-year-old trotters will be held at Addington on Show day, November 15, with the connections of boom Victorian filly Keayang Zahara indicating they could be keen on heading across the Tasman.

The daughter of Volstead was stunning winning the $100,000 Group 1 Vicbred final for three-year-old trotting fillies at Melton on Saturday night. It was her sixth win from as many starts as she did all the work and cruised away to win by 13m in a stunning 1min56.8sec mile rate for 2240m.

“So they will all have to keep improving, including our filly,” says Williamson.

The best indication that Williamson thinks Empire City is ready for tonight’s challenge is that he would be comfortable if driver Ricky May chooses to go forward at the start, a nice change from the many trainers who like their horses driven conservatively to start their campaigns.

Of course, with the lion’s share of $60,000 up for grabs and most inside her nowhere near Empire City’s class yet it would make sense to put most of them behind her before starting the last lap.

Trotters also start the night with some exciting youngsters in the IRT Sires’ Stakes Prelude for the juveniles, where Habibti Pat has opened favourite up against Frazzled, who was really good in her comeback race last Friday.

Frazzled’s pacing stablemate Got The Chocolates returns in the Woodlands Stud Sires' Stakes Colts and Geldings Heat but faces last-start winners Party Central (1) and The Con Artist (9).