Sue Jaensch is hoping the five hour drive from the South Australian country town of Naracoorte to Flemington won’t be a waste of time.
On Saturday Jaensch has Caulfield Cup hopeful Albonetti engaged in the Julie Aldridge & Cynthia Norton Handicap (1700m) with stablemate Letmedowngently to run in the 1400m Melville Yates & Craig Dann Handicap.
After a first-up sixth at Flemington last month, Albonetti will be having her second run back after dislodging Chad Schofield in last year’s Moonee Valley Cup.
“She tore a ligament in a shoulder and that’s why she needed a long break,” Jaensch said.
Albonetti is entered for the Caulfield Cup and Jaensch said the mare needs to start winning prizemoney to be a contender.
The mare was on a Caulfield Cup path last year, finishing just over a length away in the Naturalism Stakes before running sixth in the Herbert Power Stakes.
Victory in either of those Caulfield races would have assured her a run in the Caulfield Cup.
“I would think after Saturday if we could find an 1800 metre or 2000 metre race that would suit then that’s the way we’ll go,” Jaensch said.
“After that we would then slot her into races that would get her into the Caulfield Cup.”
Jaensch said the mare is showing no signs of the injury that ruled her out of the autumn and has trained on nicely from her sixth behind Charmed Harmony at Flemington on July 18.
Letmedowngently is a surprise packet according to Jaensch who despite a 900m maiden win at Mount Gambier has relished stepping up in journey.
Jaensch has no overly ambitious plans for the daughter of Musee D’Orsay, who hasn’t raced since finishing third behind Tall Ship in the Terang Cup in March.
“If she happens to show she’s good enough there’s plenty of races we can have a go at that we don’t have to pay a big nom for,” she said.
