With high-profile stablemate Autumn Glow still a couple of weeks away from resuming, Lady Shenandoah has an opportunity to lay an early carnival marker in the Light Fingers Stakes at Randwick.
The traditional kick-off point for the three-year-old fillies, Saturday’s feature has come too soon for the undefeated Autumn Glow, who is returning from bone chip surgery to a knee and only had her first barrier trial hitout at Warwick Farm on Tuesday.
However, trainer Chris Waller will still be ably represented in the Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) with four runners, headlined by $3.20 favourite Lady Shenandoah.
A dominant winner of the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) at just her fourth start, the daughter of Snitzel has looked impressive in two recent trials and Waller believes she can continue to build on her record.
“Lady Shenandoah, you’ve seen how she has trialled. She has obviously come back pretty sharp so we’re excited by that,” Waller said.
“She is pretty good. I think she did it all on raw ability (last campaign). It was the early part of the three-year-old year, she did a pretty amazing job.”
Declichy Boulevard is the next most prominent of Waller’s quartet in early markets at $13 and returns from a consistent spring in which she notched two stakes placings in Melbourne.
She has also pleased her trainer with the way she is coming to hand and he can make a case for her featuring in some of the better fillies’ races.
“In the autumn, we see horses that take the next step and I think she will be one of them,” he said.
“She trialled really well first (trial) and her second trial we shut her down and made her relax.
“It will come down to barrier draws, the speed of the race, things like that. But it will be fireworks once they get to the Surround (Stakes).”
Group 3 Red Roses Stakes winner Amelita ($17) and Lazzura ($26) round out Waller’s Light Fingers Stakes squad in what will be a big afternoon for the leading trainer, who has the likes of Via Sistina, Fangirl and Joliestar also resuming at Randwick.