Warren brimming with confidence ahead of Benedetta’s Doomben Group 1 bid
A meticulously laid plan and help from the barrier gods has trainer Jason Warren confident Benedetta (Hellbent) can put her best foot forward as she seeks a broodmare value boosting second elite-level triumph in Saturday’s Doomben 10,000 (Gr 1, 1200m).
The only thing you can’t control is the weather.
John Camilleri, owner-breeder of key rival Sunshine In Paris (Invader), reckons he “must’ve run over about a bloody dozen black cats” after his mare drew gate 14 for the time-honoured weight-for-age feature.
Benedetta pulled gate eight, which has become five due to scratchings, leaving her trainer as ebullient as one can be about their chances in a Group 1 – a race which will be the last for William Reid Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Schwarz (Zoustar) before he retires to Rosemont Stud.
Warren has left nothing to chance for Benedetta, who on Friday was vying for favouritism with fellow five-year-old mare Sunshine In Paris around the $5 mark, with Bjorn Baker’s Overpass (Vancouver) just behind them.
Last year, Benedetta won The Goodwood (Gr 1, 1200m) at Morphettville before heading to Brisbane, where she was stabled at busy Eagle Farm before a flat eighth as one of the main chances in the Stradbroke Handicap (Gr 1, 1400m).
This time, the Eales Racing mare ran second in Schwarz’s William Reid, then headed to Sydney where she was a solid fifth without a lot of luck in traffic in the All-Aged Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) while based for two weeks at spelling farm Emeran, near Wyong.
While Schwarz and Sunshine In Paris arrived in Brisbane on Thursday morning, and a few other 10,000 runners got there on Friday, Benedetta was floated north nearly two weeks ago. She’s stabled in a semi-rural environment at Deagon in Brisbane’s northern outskirts, and had a top-up trial at Doomben last Thursday week, running third.
Warren has also put blinkers back on the mare for her drop from 1400m to 1200m, and he’s hoping his range of measures pays dividends. Benedetta will also be ridden by Jamie Melham, who partnered her in her Group 1 coronation in The Goodwood.
“This race has been our target since the William Reid,” Warren told ANZ Bloodstock News. “We had to do something in the meantime. The All-Aged Stakes was a tough field, she ran well and had a run in this direction, and it’s helped us get here hard fit.
“She had a good couple of weeks at Emeran, who did a fabulous job with her, and she travelled up here to Brisbane very well.
“She had a look at Doomben on Tuesday with blinkers on, and she had a good trial there as well.
“And we’re stabling with Steele Ryan at Deagon, which is a nice, relaxed, country environment with day yards we can turn her out in. Eagle Farm was good, but there’s no yards or turn-out paddocks. We’ve now got a country environment which replicates what she has at home at Mornington. So it’s a more relaxed environment, and she’s really thrived up here.”
Warren said the reapplication of blinkers would “keep her sharp going from 1400 to 1200”. The fitness earned from that longer run last start should, he said, also hold her in good stead for the major variable hovering over the $1.5 million race – the weather.
Amid south-east Queensland’s continuing big wet, Doomben was a soft 7 on Friday, but with more rain forecast for Friday night and Saturday, Warren is expecting a heavy track.
Benedetta is 5:2-2 on soft but, while she hasn’t raced on heavy, Warren believes she would handle it.
“The William Reid was basically on a heavy track,” he said of the Moonee Valley sprint. “It was officially a soft 6, but away from the fence and out where we were was definitely heavy. The track rating was a bit off that day.
“She got through it OK, and that gives us confidence she’ll handle it here.
“I’m confident she’ll run really well, and be more than competitive. For a Group 1, you can’t be any more confident than that.
“There’s quite a lot of speed in the race and a lot of it’s drawn outside us. We’ll be able to come out and be in a midfield position and hopefully run over them late.”
Benedetta will race on for at least another year. She’ll currently scheduled to run next in the Stradbroke – for which she’s an $11 second favourite behind $6 shot Joliestar (Zoustar) – though victory today might prompt reconsideration.
“If we win the 10,000 and get a slot in The Everest, we might look to give her a little break instead of the Stradbroke, but we’ll see,” Warren said.
Sunshine In Paris is likely to also race on, although Camilleri said the possibility remained she might go to stud this spring, mulling potential matings with Frankel (Galileo) in Europe or Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) in Australia.
Her immediate future could be swung by a poor run on Saturday. Camilleri is confident that won’t happen, citing her consistent record of six wins and five placings from 16 starts, although two of her five unplaced runs have come at her only attempts on heavy.
The great James McDonald climbs aboard at Doomben, having partnered Sunshine In Paris only for her barnstorming win in Flemington’s Sprint Classic (Gr 1, 1200m) last spring. He’ll have to overcome her wide barrier – even though she’s now into gate 11 of 14 after scratchings – but Camilleri hopes the draw will actually combine well with the wet going.
“She’s had 16 starts and hasn’t put a bad run in yet, so she’s quite an amazing mare. The only hitch she’s got is that she can’t draw a barrier. It’s statistically off the charts,” Camilleri said of the mare whose past three barriers have been 11, 11 and 13.
“But, maybe the wide gate will work in our favour. By race eight, the going out wide might be better.
“She goes well on the soft but does handle the heavy, although I’d prefer it not to be heavy. But in any case she’s going very well, according to [trainers] Rob and Annabel [Archibald].
“She’ll either have another year in training or she goes to stud, but I’m leaning towards another year. She’s lightly raced and well physically, so we would need to see a reason not to continue.”
McDonald could have ridden Schwarz, who he partnered in his two barrier trials, both successful, at Warwick Farm and Randwick since his William Reid victory. For that matter, McDonald could have ridden anything he wanted. In any case, Camilleri was happy to have him.
“He’s one for one on her, and that was a Group 1, so it’s a perfect record. I just hope he’s a good judge,” he said, with his tongue in his cheek.
Schwarz looked ultra impressive in leading throughout to win the Reid by a length, and his co-trainer Tom Charlton believes that with a similar preparation this time, he can bid farewell to racing in strong style.
Craig Williams will have his first sit on Schwarz, who has barrier eight. The stallion has won two of three on soft – including the Reid when close to the fence – but hasn’t raced on worse. His Randwick barrier trial win on May 5, however, came on a heavy 8.
“He got through that fine. It’s obviously a bit different with a trial than a race, but he handles a wet track, though if it’s really heavy I’m not sure what we’d do,” Charlton said.
“He’s going well and we’re happy with him and he travelled up well.
“It’s a good race. We’re going to need a bit of luck and things to go your way as you always do.
“But he’s had a good preparation, a very similar lead-in to what he had into the Reid, and that gives us confidence he should be able to perform well.
“It looks like a high pressure race with a lot of speed. Obviously, he’s going to jump and be in a handy position. We’ll leave it up to Craig to see what’s best depending on how the race unfolds.
“We’re confident the horse can run well, it’s just one of those races where you need a few things to go your way.”