Up-and-coming mare Salina Dreaming will be on trial for stakes racing when she lines up at Randwick.
As a younger horse, Salina Dreaming was a nervous Nellie but thankfully for her exasperated trainer Angela Davies, with age has come maturity.
Despite constantly testing the patience of her Gosford conditioner, Salina Dreaming has shown above-average ability to win five of her nine starts.
The latest came at Warwick Farm last month when she trounced a competitive field and Davies is hoping the mare’s newfound calm can help her go on with the job in Saturday’s Fujitsu General Sprint (1200m) at Randwick.
“She has finally matured. She was mentally a bit of a ratbag,” Davies said.
“She was frightened of the gates, frightened of the horses and she has just come back this time and it’s like ‘bang’, nothing worries her now.”
The four-year-old faces some tough opponents, including promising sprinter Lost And Running and stakes winner True Detective, but Davies says Salina Dreaming needs to measure up on Saturday if she is to progress to black-type races.
The trainer’s one anxiety is race fitness after the mare suffered a foot abscess following her first-up win and missed some work.
“That’s probably my only doubt, that we’re rock-solid enough going into it with nearly a month between runs, but she probably does race better on the fresh side,” Davies said.
If Salina Dreaming can measure up, next month’s Listed Takeover Target Stakes (1200m) on her home track is her likely goal.
She was a $3.60 equal favourite with Lost And Running on Friday and will be ridden by Kerrin Mcevoy .
