Miss Octopussy had a head start in life and she’s well on the way after winning the Bill Collins Hcp (1100m) at Caulfield on Saturday.

Miss Octopussy (4m Lonhro – Ponton Flyer by Flying Spur) is trained by Tommy Hughes jnr at Flemington and she lumped 57kg to hold off luckless runner-up Rue Maple.  “She has done a good job,” Hughes said.  “Now we will target the Goodwood in Adelaide.”

Miss Octopussy is by Woodlands / Darley champion Lonhro and her dam Ponton Flyer was a G2 winner of the VRC Kewney Stakes and G3 VATC Blue Diamond Preview.  She was also G1 runner-up in a Blue Diamond Stakes and VATC 1000 Guineas.

Ponton Flyer is also the dam of Lonhro G3 winner Minnesota Shark (MVRC Mitchell McKenzie Stakes) and a Lonhro yearling colt.  

Like her dam, Miss Octopussy is raced by the Whittenbury family’s Barree Pastoral.  Alan Whittenbury raced Ponton Flyer and his son Glenn owns Miss Octopussy.

Miss Octopussy will be set for the G1 Goodwood on May 8.  The Lonhro mare was beaten less than a length into third spot behind Response and Beaded in the G1 Robert Sangster Stakes at Morphettville a month ago.

“She carried 56.5kg last time in Adelaide and she drops to 52kg in The Goodwood,” Hughes told Robert Windmill of AAP.  “We meet Response 4.5kg better and that’s raised our hopes she could turn the tables next month.”