Yarra Valley Cup change alters plans for Basilinna

A schedule adjustment to the Yarra Valley Cup has led to a revised approach for Basilinna, trained by Emma-Lee and David Browne.

The Yarra Valley Cup was originally set for 1950m last Sunday but was abandoned after heavy rain made the track unsafe.

To ensure the race still goes ahead, it has been repositioned as a benchmark 100 event and is now part of Saturday’s 11-race card at Moonee Valley.

Basilinna had been nominated for two other events – a benchmark 84 over 1500m and the Group 2 Sunline Stakes (1600m) – before the Cup was added to the program.

Though the Brownes initially planned to start her in the Sunline Stakes, they decided the Yarra Valley Cup was a better option despite the extra trip.

“I don’t know if she is a winning chance first-up, but so long as she’s hitting the line and showing that she still wants to be involved, that will please us,” Emma-Lee Browne said.

In the 2023 spring carnival, Basilinna impressed with third-place finishes in the Ethereal Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield and the VRC Oaks (2500m) at Flemington.

The following autumn, she came close to victory when finishing second in the Kewney Stakes (1600m) at Flemington, which stood as her best result from four starts.

Last spring, she had a mixed campaign, with her standout effort being a third-place finish in the Pinker Pinker Plate (2025m) at Cranbourne.

“We went back to the drawing board a little bit with her after the spring,” Browne said.

“We had been hoping she would come up like she had in the autumn last year and in the spring as a three-year-old, but just a few things weren’t quite right with her.

“It was probably more mental than anything else, so we gave her a good break and we’re hoping she’s back and her behaviour at The Valley on Tuesday morning was impeccable.

“We’ve got no plans for her after Saturday.

“She’s already taken us on an amazing ride, so hopefully we can enhance her pedigree.”