Super return by Sabatini
Sabatini continued her outstanding Caulfield form with a first up victory in the Le Pines Hcp on Saturday. The four-year-old mare won the Group II Angus Armanasco Stakes (1400m) and Group III Kevin Hayes (1200m) at Caulfield in the autumn before returning to post her fourth win from seven starts at the course.
Stepping out for the first time since her unplaced run in the Group I Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) in May, Sabatini ($6) settled well off the smart speed set by the well-backed Craftiness before finishing strongly under jockey Kerrin McEvoy’s riding to get home by a long head.
Sabatini will return to Caulfield in 3 weeks time for the Gr 2 “Tristarc Stakes” over 1400m with a view to tackle the pretigious Gr 1 “Myer Classic” on Derby Day over 1600m.
Her stablemate, “Pittsburgh Flyer” finished an unlucky 4th in the opening race on the program and will also join Sabatini on Caulfield Cup Day in the “Alinghi Stakes” over 1100m.
Both mares are raced and were bred by “Greg and Jenny White” of Alpara Lodge. Their Group 1 winning mare “Fenway” will stake her claim for a Cox Plate berth when she lines up in the Gr 2 “Stock Stakes” on Friday night under Blake Shinn.