BENEDICTION confirmed her status as the state’s best two-year-old in the state when she toyed with her rivals in the $30,.000 Evicus Stakes final over 1609 metres at Tattersall’s Park in Hobart on Sunday night.
The Barrie Rattray-trained filly scorched across from gate five to lead and once in front it was game over for her rivals.
Benediction went on to defeat $40 chance Stone Skipper by a comfortable margin with another outsider Kristins Niadh ($50) a close-up third.
It was Benediction’s fourth win from seven starts but clearly her most impressive.
With the state’s leading reinsman Gareth Rattray in the sulky, Benediction set a solid pace and ended hp clocking a mile rate of 1.58.99 which was only a half-second slower than Shez Ryleymak’s class record set two years ago in the Betfiar 2YO Sweepstakes fillies final.
The win clearly made up for her second place behind Codie Karalta in an Evicus heat a fortnight earlier when interference at a crucial stage was deemed by stewards to be insufficient to change the placings.
Benediction is trained by Barrie Rattray who has always considered her a class act.
“She is a very nice filly and hopefully she can go on with it next season,” Rattray said.
Benediction is by Bettors Delight from former champion mare Queen Carey.
She is owned and raced in partnership by the Rattray Family Trust and Lyndon and Debbie Dakin.
Listen to what part-owner Lyndon Dakin had t say about Benediction’s brilliant Evicus Stakes win – click here.