Pat Hyland hadn’t lost faith in his classy mare Bonaria before she returned to form to record a break-through stakes win at Flemington last start.
But his confidence has hit new levels with the win, and so have his ambitions for the daughter of Redoute’s Choice.
Bonaria is entered for the Group Two Sunline Stakes at a Moonee Valley meeting on Friday night dominated by the horse against who all others are measured, Black Caviar.
“I’ve always believed she is a very, very nice mare,” Hyland said.
“Especially when she got out to her right distance.”
Bonaria arrived at that point in the Group Three Schweppes Trophy at Flemington and on Friday night runs again over 1600m.
The 17 entries in her race include the top-ranked Lights Of Heaven along with the handy mares Spirit Song and Star Of Giselle.
As a precaution, Hyland has also entered Bonaria for the Group One Coolmore Classic (1500m) at Rosehill where Star Of Giselle holds a nomination.
“If it happened to be wet here and dry in Sydney we’d have a think about running at Rosehill,” he said.
Whatever happens this weekend, Bonaria will be out to add a Sydney Group One race to her record with the Queen Of The Turf Stakes, also over the Rosehill 1500m, on her agenda so long as she has a dry track.
Before her last start, Bonaria had gone eight months without a win but Hyland had consoled himself with some good runs in the strongest company.
“She proved herself behind good horses like Mosheen last time in, so I never doubted her,” he said.
Bonaria finished second to Mosheen at Group Two level at Flemington last spring and before that was fourth in a similar race at the same track behind Zurella.
“She’s improved since then. She just needed the right race and she got that the other day,” Hyland said.
Dwayne Dunn takes over from the Hong Kong-based Tim Clark on Bonaria at the Valley.
