THE Bill Ryan-trained mare Sh’bourne Spirit will stake her claim on the upcoming Bow Mistress-Vamos feature weight-for-age double when she steps out in the $25,000 Lady Lynette sprint (1100m) for fillies and mares.
Sh’bourne Spirit was one of last season’s most consistent sprinting mares and she resumed from a five-month spell with an emphatic win in Launceston in late October. She was freshened up to tackle the Newmarket handicap in which she finished midfield but beaten only 2.9 lengths behind Hellova Street.
She tackled the quality Sprint on the synthetic at Devonport on Cup Day but failed to flatter finishing fifth of seven and beaten almost five lengths.
But back on grass, a good barrier (2) and the in-form Anthony Darmanin on board the mare should be prominent at the business end of proceedings today.
It is a very open race with the Barry Campbell-trained Miss Middleton likely to start favourite on the strength of her emphatic first-up win in Launceston on New Year’s Eve.
The mare, owned and raced by the Larter family, had two campaigns interstate finishing in the care of Bart and James Cummings in Sydney where she was unplaced from two starts.
But back in Campbell’s care she has blossomed and if she takes her first-up form into today’s race she will be very hard to beat.
WATCH the episode of Carnival Contenders in which Peter Staples speaks with Sh’bourne Spirit’s trainer Bill Ryan. She’ll race in this Sunday’s $25,000 Lady Lynette Mares Classic over 1100 metres.