Mother’s Mercy looks set to add win number six to her tally in the Fillies and Mares Benchmark 78 Handicap on Saturday.
Third-up from a break and a rise in distance look the perfect recipe for Mother’s Mercy to land win number six at Randwick on Saturday.
The four-year-old wasn’t beaten far at the Kensington track last time out but gets back to what her trainer Paul Messara believes is her best trip on Saturday.
The daughter of Redoute’s Choice is a five-time winner from just eight career outings, and Messara said Randwick will suit the mare much better than the Kensington last start.
“She’s come through the last race really well,” he said.
“We’re looking at a 10-day back up into Saturday, which I think will suit her.
“She didn’t really get around the bend that well at the Kensington track, that was the feedback from the jockey.
“He (Tom Sherry) thought she didn’t really love the bend, so a bigger track will be more suitable for her.”
Messara also holds two nominations for the Group One Golden Rose, with both Seahaven and The Hungarian yet to debut.
The Hungarian is set to step out in a trial at Scone on Wednesday with Aaron Bullock in the saddle.
The scone-based trainer said the nominations were put in just to be safe.
“More of a ‘just in case’ to be honest,” he said.
“It’s difficult to know and particularly some of these horses who haven’t come out and they jump out of the ground in the spring.
“If you’re not kind of ready, you get left flat footed.
“More of a hunch and a hope, than a know.”
Messara will send Luna Mia to Queensland on Saturday, with the rising six-year-old set to run at Eagle Farm.
Luna Mia is nominated for two races, an Open Handicap and a Benchmark 72 Handicap, both over 1400m.
The daughter of Redoute’s Choice took part in the 2019 edition of The Kosciuszko, running eighth in the $1.3 million feature.
Messara says Luna Mia is in for a good race on Saturday but hasn’t set any plans to target this years The Kosciuszko.
“She’s set for Queensland on Saturday, it’s the only place you can find a dry track these days so she’s got to go back up there,” he said.
“She ran very well last start. She’s raced with no luck having wide barriers in each of her starts this preparation.
“It’s more race by race this time in.
“I think as she’s gone on, I’m not sure what her ideal trip will be, probably 1400m or something like that.
“She’s only really effective on dry ground so everything depends on the weather.”
