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By Ray Hickson

The curtain is about to come down on bonny mare Dixie Blossoms’ career and trainer Ron Quinton said it may well end on Saturday if she wins the Group 1 $3m The Star Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Royal Randwick.

Trainer Ron Quinton. (Pic: Bradley Photos).

Dixie Blossoms is aiming to be the first Coolmore Classic winner to claim the Doncaster since the champion Sunline in 2002 and Quinton is quietly confident.

Both of Quinton’s star mares, the other being 2018 Coolmore winner Daysee Doom, are set for retirement at the end of the autumn carnival.

Daysee Doom will run in Saturday week’s Coolmore Legacy and Quinton said that race could also be Dixie Blossoms’ swansong.

“If she happened to win the Doncaster we might not worry about the Coolmore Legacy,’’ Quinton said.

“If she doesn’t win and if she’s going to retire then, all going well, it probably wouldn’t hurt to back her up.

“Winning the Coolmore Classic was more than satisfying, it was unbelievable.

"I was so delighted for her and for (owners) Alan and Lisa (Osburg) that she finally got that Group 1 because she had been unlucky a couple of times.’’

Given seven of the last 10 Doncaster winners have jumped from double figure barriers, Quinton isn’t too concerned about Dixie Blossoms’ marble of 14.

Just like the Coolmore, where she started $21, Dixie is again underestimated as a $17 chance with TAB.

Quinton has won two Doncasters as a jockey, Analie in 1973 and Emancipation in 1983, and with 53kg on her back sees no reason why the six-year-old mare can’t give him his first as a trainer.

Sam Clipperton rode the mare in her final work but Christian Reith is back on board for the Doncaster.

“She’s in great form coming out of the Coolmore and she’s won a couple of miles at Randwick so that won’t be foreign to her,’’ Quinton said.

“She has a weight where she can win a race like this so we are going into it with plenty of confidence.

“She had to have a nice searching gallop (on Tuesday morning) leading into a big mile at Randwick and I was happy with what I saw and Sam couldn't have had more praise for her.’’

Dixie Blossoms wins the Coolmore Classic at Rosehill on March 16

Dixie Blossoms was at her supreme best when she claimed the Coolmore, she ran easily the fastest last 600m of the Group 1 feature in 35.60 and was the only horse to break 12 seconds (11.85) for the last 200m in the race (Punter's Intelligence).

She’s only missed a place twice in eight starts over the Randwick mile and Saturday will be the first time since she won the Angst Stakes over the same course in 2016 she’s carried 54kg or less in a race.

Quinton said she’ll still need some luck and he’d love an extra shower or two in the lead up to the Doncaster “to put a few other horses out of business’’.

“She just needs the field to break up a little bit so she can pop in and have a reasonable run,’’ he said.

"I wouldn't think she'd be any better than midfield but if she can get in somewhere that would be ideal.''

All the fields, form and replays for Day 1 of The Championships at Royal Randwick