The reigning 2yr-old filly of the year has her first start as a 3yr-old in the $18,000 heat at the Tuapeka Harness Racing Club's meeting at Forbury Park tomorrow, after a juvenile season her West Melton trainer, Geoff Dunn, described as unreal.
The Mach Three filly won five of her eight starts, including the Caduceus Club Classic, the 2yr-old sires' stakes and her division of the Harness Jewels - all at group 1 level - and banked $265,782 in her debut season.
''It was absolutely fantastic,'' Dunn said.
''She thrives on [racing] too, which is a really good sign. When she was in Auckland she just got better.
''She had three hard races in three weeks and she just seemed to improve off them.''
Venus Serena had only five weeks off after her Harness Jewels win in early June.
''She didn't have that long off, really. She's a pretty good doer and gets pretty heavy so we've got to be careful with her,'' Dunn said.
''She's got a bit more solid - she looks bigger up close but not that much bigger on the track.
Venus Serena's first public hit-out this season did not go to plan at all, but Dunn said her errant trial at Ashburton on October 10 was actually a blessing in disguise for him and driver John Dunn.
''We actually had to pull her up.
''She raced all last year without a tongue tie. It's about the first horse I've ever raced without a tongue tie, and she seemed to get away with it . . .
''We took her to the trials for the first time this time in and she got her tongue over the bit.
''It was good to find out. How lucky were we she didn't do it in a run [on race day]?''
Venus Serena now wears a tongue tie, and has responded well in her last two workouts, winning both heats in tidy times, but racing was a different proposition, Dunn said. He has a lot of respect for three horses in particular in the heat - the Clark Barron-prepared Raksdeal and the Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen-trained pair of Willow and Secret's Out.
Venus Serena has drawn barrier 3, with Raksdeal and Willow drawn inside her.
''I know it's a good draw, but those two inside her are tricky enough, aren't they?''I always liked the one horse that Clark Barron drives and Mark Purdon's horses go pretty damn good.
''It's first up anyway. We'll be trying hard but I can see it being quite difficult.''
Dunn has just two other horses - Tiger Tara and King Of Strathfield -racing at the moment, and both will start at Ashburton on Monday.
Tiger Tara faces the unbeaten Alleluia over a mile, but Tiger Tara is yet to be beaten this season as well. Dunn said the draw made things tough for Tiger Tara, as does King Of Strathfield's draw in the Ashburton trotters' flying mile.
Updates
Additional information for meetings today.-
M2 Auckland RC Riders:Race 3: Dragon Lair - Phillip Turner (a1), Sweet Charlotte - Craig Grylls
Scratchings:
Race 2 - Kschessinska
Race 3 - Highland Park
Race 5 - Future King, Airman
Race 6 - Carbonado
Weather, overcast; track, good3; rail out 10m
M4 Wellington RC
Riders
Race 5: Good One Glady - Mark Du Plessis
Scratchings:
Race 1 - Red Melody
Race 2 - Written Command, Gold
Race 4 - Elusive Red
Race 5 - Go Joeli
Race 6 - Kekova
Race 9 - Le Bon Fin, Stella Bella
Weather, overcast; track, heavy11; rail, true
M6 Canterbury Racing
Riders:
Race 3: Supremo - Amanda Morgan
Race 9: Stingray - Matthew Cameron
Scratchings:
Race 9 - Something Zed
Weather, fine; track, good
3; rail out 7m to 1000m then 9m to post
