Talented filly Reginae will wear blinkers for the first time at Rosehill in the hope a gear change will help her recapture the type of form she showed in the spring.
The three-year-old will have to overcome a wide draw when she takes on a smart field in Saturday’s Dad & Dave’s Turf Handicap (1400m), including the ultra-consistent Reelem In Ruby and lightly raced Anthony Cummings-trained filly Constellations.
A Randwick winner in September, Reginae earned a spring carnival trip to Melbourne and wasn’t disgraced when sixth to Mystic Journey in Listed grade.
She hasn’t been far away in three runs this preparation and her last-start sixth to Wild Planet in the Inglis Scone Guineas was better than it looked after she suffered interference early in the straight before picking herself up and hitting the line with purpose.
Trainer Kris Lees is hoping the addition of blinkers will prove a winning move.
“She promised a lot in the springtime so it’s just whether we can get her back to there, but there have been glimpses of signs she can return to form,” Lees said.
“She’s working very well.”
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott will saddle up Let Me Sleep On It in the same race and have taken blinkers off the filly with Bott cautioning punters to forgive the three-year-old for her disappointing last-start run in the Listed Denise’s Joy Stakes (1100m) at Scone.
A stakes winner as a two-year-old, Let Me Sleep On It was a fighting third at Warwick Farm two starts ago and Bott believes she will appreciate a distance rise to 1400 metres on Saturday.
“She wanted to race a bit keenly within herself (at Scone) so she did have excuses there, but I was very disappointed with the outcome,” Bott said.
“She was showing us plenty at home and she looked to be thriving physically.
“I think she can bounce back. Her first-up run was very good and she’s taking a step back in grade, which will be suitable, and the step up in trip is more in line with what she’s looking for.”
