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Nikolic eyes Miss Maren for Group One

Thursday 11 March 2010
By Robert Windmill

Jockey Dan Nikolic is keen on his chances of combining with trainer Mick Price for their second Group One victory together after picking up the ride on Miss Maren in the Australian Cup at Flemington.

Nikolic has had a long and successful association with the stable with a highlight being Rubiscent scoring an upset at $41 when he toppled raging favourite Miss Finland in the 2007 Underwood Stakes at Caulfield.

Miss Maren won't be at such lucrative odds on Saturday but Nikolic is hopeful of getting a similar result.

"She's is a great pick up for me," Nikolic said.

"She is an underrated sort of mare and on what she has shown she is going to be a top chance for sure."

TAB Sportsbet quoted Miss Maren at $8.50 on Thursday but she has to contend with her more celebrated stablemate and last year's Underwood winner and favourite Heart Of Dreams ($6).

Last start Heart Of Dreams and Miss Maren finished second and third respectively in the Group Two George Stakes (1800m) and Price expects the order won't be reversed in the 2000m Australian Cup.

"They will both be competitive and there is not much between them but I can't see how she is going to beat him," Price said.

He said that while Miss Maren can beat Heart Of Dreams in track gallops it was a different story on race day.

"He is a warrior and he beat her a fair way in the St George," Price said.

Craig Newitt will ride Heart Of Dreams while Nikolic picked up the Miss Maren mount after Damien Oliver took rides in Sydney on Saturday.

Nikolic has followed Miss Maren's career with interest since he rode her for the first and only time in last year's Group One Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on Anzac Day.

She finished near last but was only beaten six lengths and was at the end of her campaign.

Notably she is a three-time winner at 2000 metres and, while she is yet to land a Group One race, she went close twice last spring when third in the Kelt Capital Stakes (2040m) in New Zealand and second to Scenic Shot in the Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) at Flemington.

Doubts on Heart Of Dreams as a genuine 2000m weight-for-age horse stem from his narrow defeat when second to Whobegotyou in the Group One Yalumba Stakes and subsequent seventh to So You Think in the Cox Plate (2040m).

Nikolic is hoping that Miss Maren's strength at the end of 2000 metres will give her an edge.

Price said that element and Nikolic's record for the stable could be factors that count in her favour.

"He has ridden a heap of winners for me and she is flying," Price said.

"She is in the right place at the right time to win it but I have seen enough of her to say she's not great, top grade, then again she has got D Nikolic helping her."