THAT'S Molly needs speed early on in Saturday's Country Championship final to be raced at Randwick to be a chance, according to trainer Glen Milligan from Taree.
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"She's fine, she's fit and she had her final hitout last Saturday morning,'' Milligan said.
"She's as fit as I can get her. Now it's up to whether she's good enough.
"Every time we step her up to the mark, she's competitive. She's only a little pony but she just tries her guts out.
"But if she gets back and there's no speed, she just can't run them down.''
That's Molly struggled on the Mid North Coast qualifying race at Tuncurry in late February, missing a place in the event conducted in driving rain after starting favourite.
Ironically, before the qualifier That's Molly's five wins were on tracks rated either soft or heavy.
"It wasn't the club's fault at Tuncurry, it was just the way the track was - the rain just spoiled the day and she just never handled it,'' Milligan said.
Undeterred, Milligan started That's Molly in a Wild Card event at Scone last month in a bid to qualify for Saturday. She did all that was asked of her, winning at $53.
"I thought she'd be hard to beat there - and we got $61 on her,'' he said. "I knew she would finish strongly; she was rock-hard fit and ran really well.''
Rain is forecast for tomorrow, but Milligan said that doesn't concern him despite what happened in the qualifying race.
"Randwick is a lot better track than Tuncurry when it's heavy,'' he said.
Milligan expects That's Molly to start around $50 or $60 and said that's great value. "I think she's a $20 chance to be honest,'' he said.
Ashley Morgan, who steered That's Molly to the win at Scone, will again have the sit on Saturday. That's Molly has drawn the four barrier.
This will be the Milligan stable's fifth start in the Country final.
Ran third
"Charmmebaby ran third, that was our best result, while Another Valley was fourth the first year they ran the final,'' he said.
He said the Danny Williams-trained Bandi's Boy, the winner of a Stakes race last Saturday, will be hard to beat. At the time of writing Bandi's Boy is rated the $2.50 favourite.
"That was a big win last Saturday and he'll take some beating,'' Milligan said.
Milligan and his wife, Vicky, own 90 per cent of That's Molly, along with friend Josh Kime, who's in for 10 per cent.
She's as fit as I can get her. Now it's up to whether she's good enough.
- That's Molly's trainer Glen Milligan
From 20 starts she's won $178,625 in prizemoney after being purchased for $7000.
Longer term, Milligan is considering a Taree Cup start for That's Molly in November.
"That's in the back of my mind, but her days of racing in the country are nearly gone unless there's a good race,'' he said.
"We may go to the Tamworth Cup (to be run April 26) after Saturday's final.
"That's what we did with Charmmebaby and she ran second there.
"Then maybe the Taree Cup if she doesn't get weighted out of it and I might send her to Brisbane after that.''
However, Milligan isn't thinking any further ahead than Saturday's lucrative $1 million 1400 metre final timed to start at 2.45.
"If we win that, I don't know when I'll get home,'' he laughed.
