An eye-catching trial at Byford on Sunday morning showed that Benesari Lane is poised to issue a powerful challenge to unbeaten filly Lady Jadore in the Off The Track Pace for two-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday.
Benesari Lane, to be driven by Shannon Suvaljko for Byford trainer Vicki Lea, will start from barrier five in the 1730m event, with Lady Jadore, to be driven by Aldo Cortopassi for Banjup trainer Annie Belton, at barrier six in the field of six.
Benesari Lane was restrained from the outside of the front line in Sunday’s 2150m trial and settled down in ninth position, about ten lengths from the pacemaker Unearthed. She was eighth at the bell and sixth with 300m to travel before switching five wide on the home turn and finishing purposefully to be second to the highly promising gelding Peligroso. She was not extended by Suvaljko.
Lady Jadore will be having her first start for seven weeks since she raced three wide early, took the lead after 500m and won the Group 1 $100,000 Sales Classic final by more than a length from Adore Me Some More, with Benesari Lane one and a half lengths farther back in third place.
At her previous outing Lady Jadore led and won by three lengths from Foxy Rose, with Benesari Lane a half-length away in third place. Benesari Lane has improved noticeably since those two third placings behind Lady Jadore. She led and won easily from Star For Me at Gloucester Park a fortnight ago.
Boyanup trainer Justin Prentice will be represented on Friday by last-start Bunbury winner Always An Angel and Star Of The Bay, a last-start second to Shes A Bright Star at Gloucester Park. But neither appears capable, at this stage, of testing Lady Jadore or Benesari Lane.
Cortopassi, who has a high opinion of Lady Jadore, also is hoping for a change of luck with the Karen Thompson-trained Whoswhointhezoo, who will start from the No. 1 barrier in the Retravision pace over 2536m.
Whoswhointhezoo gave signs of better things to come when he finished with a strong sprint to be second to Purest Silk over 1684m at Pinjarra last Friday and he has sound prospects of ending a losing sequence of 33.
Purest Silk, who set the pace at Pinjarra and rated 1.56.7, with final quarters of 28.6sec. and 27.9sec., has sound prospects of repeating the dose when she starts from the No. 2 barrier in the final event on Friday, the 2130m Westside Auto Pace for mares.
Purest Silk’s most serious rival is likely to be Balcatherine, who will be driven by Maddison Brown from the inside of the back line. Balcatherine, prepared by Gary Hall Snr, reappeared after an absence of 12 months when she finished an unlucky fourth behind Typhoon Tiff last Friday night when she was badly hampered for room in the closing stages.
Ken Casellas