Benedetta nearing return

Group 1 winning mare Benedetta is set to trial at Balnarring in preparation for her racetrack return.

Trainer Jason Warren has earmarked the Group 1 Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Flemington on February 15 for the mare’s first start since June.

Benedetta has been off the scene since finishing midfield in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm which followed her breakthrough victory at the highest level in the Sangster Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville last May.

The now five-year-old missed the spring after giving a leg a knock when preparing for her return run at Flemington in October.

Warren said Benedetta would have an easy jump-out at Balnarring on Wednesday before being floated to his new stable at Flemington where she will compete in a jump-out down the straight on Friday week ahead of the Lightning Stakes.

“She’s done enormous,” Warren said.

“I’m really pleased with her. She’s really strengthened up and her work has been excellent.

“The Lightning is a realistic target and then we’ll work it from there, but a race like the William Reid could also be a realistic target, but we’ll get through the Lightning first and work it out from there.

“Whether or not we go back to Adelaide for the Sangster, I’m not sure.”

Warren is concerned what weight Benedetta would receive in a sprint handicap like the Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on March 8 and has already ruled out running the mare in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield on February 22.

He said the way older mares like Bella Nipotina have been performing in recent years, Warren is hoping connections decide to keep Benedetta racing for a couple more seasons.

“Having seen what the older mares are doing, I wouldn’t be keen for to be rushing off to the breeding barn,” Warren said.

“I’d be keen for her to keep going, especially now she’s fully mature and a lot of the topliners have probably dropped away, and she’s still on the way up.”

Warren will have 18 boxes at Flemington from February 1, sharing Mathew Ellerton’s former complex with Dom Sutton.

The Flemington stable will complement the 16 boxes Warren has on course at Mornington and stables at nearby Graebar Park.

“The Flemington boxes will primarily be for two-year-olds, but we’ve got a number of horses in pre-training at the moment, so with the expansion we’ll be able to do a lot more in house,” Warren said.