It was an unfortunate accident that saw talented mare Niance miss the Autumn, but Grahame Begg believes the lightly raced five-year-old can make up for lost time over the Winter.
A winner of six races from ten starts, Niance is set to resume in the Listed Bel Esprit Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on Saturday, a track and distance where Niance is already a Group 3 winner.
That fact made it an easy decision for Begg to target the Bel Esprit, which he hopes can be used as a springboard to further Group targets over the coming months.
“She had an injury in the paddock. We’ll leave it at that, but anyway, but she’s back on song,” Begg said.
“She’s had a jump out and a barrier trial, but she’s in very good form.
“She won her latest trial at Caulfield Heath on May 15, she jumped out very well and then trialled very well.
“We had our aspirations of possibly taking her up to Sydney to run in the Bob Charley, but we decided that it was better to stay here, particularly because her Caulfield record’s very good.
“We don’t have to travel and her fresh record’s good.”
Now well into her five-year-old season, Begg says Niance will never develop into a typically ‘strong’ looking sprinter, but believes her athleticism and adaptability are her best attributes.
“She’s not a big imposing horse, she’s just a good athlete. If you saw her in a sale you wouldn’t buy her, you wouldn’t give it two looks at her, but she’s just got a motor.”
“She’s taken some good scalps, a lot of the stakes form around the sprinting mares is around her, she beat She’s Bulletproof who ran second in the Oakleigh Plate.”
Begg has no concerns over Niance’s fitness levels heading into Saturday’s race, with plenty of options to consider in the coming months.
“Absolutely she’s forward enough to win, she goes very well fresh,” Begg said.
“It gives us the opportunity, running on the 31st of May. She can have a back-off, and then possibly gear up for something like the Bletchingly or something like that, tail end of July, and then we’ll just tinker around with her.”
Begg also confirmed progressive four-year-old King Zephyr is spelling off a disappointing run at Flemingon last week.
“He didn’t handle the heavy eight. But he’s pulled up good, so he’s just going to have a month off and get ready for the spring. He’ll hopefully measure up in a nice race.”
