Labelling Nimalee’s Golden Pendant victory “a bonus”, jockey Regan Bayliss is confident the mare is the right horse to deliver him successive wins in the Epsom Handicap.
Already a Group 1 winner of the Queen Of The Turf Stakes over the Randwick mile, Nimalee showed tenacity to overcome a wide gate and 58kg impost when taking out the Rosehill feature last Saturday.
Bayliss believes that run will bring her to her peak for this weekend’s showpiece race, which he won last year aboard Private Eye, and says Nimalee has the racing pattern to overcome another awkward draw in barrier 10.
“We went into the Golden Pendant run third-up but knowing that she still had improvement for later targets during the spring,” Bayliss said.
“That win was almost a little bit of a bonus, knowing that she’s going to be peaking next start, which is on Saturday, and further into the spring.
“That barrier doesn’t worry her at all. You can just pop out, small field, get into a nice rhythm.
“She will be in the first four somewhere and she loves a heavy track, which is only a plus.”
Nimalee’s only other experience off a seven-day back was in the Matriarch Stakes (2000m) at Flemington last spring when she rattled home to finish sixth, beaten less than two lengths.
Bayliss expects the quick turnaround to again be no issue as Nimalee ($14) bids to join Probabeel (2020), Winx (2015) and Secret Admirer (2011) as the only mares to win the Epsom Handicap (1600m) in the past 20 years.
Mares comprise more than half of the field this year, led by $4 TAB fixed odds favourite Icebath, with Top Ranked ($4.40) and Cross Talk ($7.50) the highest ranked of the males.
The geldings finished first and third respectively in the Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m) last start, a race that has provided the past three Epsom Handicap winners.
