Benedetta scores black-type win

Lightly raced four-year-old Benedetta has ticked off an important career milestone, picking up her first black-type victory in the Group 3 Cockram Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday.

It was a nail-biting race that came down to the market’s two clear favourites, with Parisal ($2.50) and Jamie Kah keeping Benedetta ($2.80) three wide throughout.

The pair made their runs together, and from early in the straight it was a two-act affair, with both horses kicking and hitting the lead at various stages.

But it would be Benedetta and Daniel Stackhouse who found the front when it mattered, scoring a thrilling half-length victory in front of a roaring crowd.

Trainer Jason Warren, who also took out the day’s first race with Seb Song, was relieved to pick up a Stakes win with the mare.

And fair enough too, given the daughter of Hellbent won the $750k Inglis Sprint at Flemington this year by three lengths, but was still yet to claim the crucial black-type winning status before today.

“It’s very satisfying and very important for her as a mare going forward for her breeding career,” he said.  “Let’s hope that that’s well off. She’s got better races in store and hopefully on to something a little bit better.”

It would appear a trip north beckons this spring for Benedetta, who has now registered six wins from eight races.

“We’ll probably go towards Sydney and get hold of some bigger prizemoney up there.

“She’s earned a place in a better race, and I’d say Sydney is where we’ll end up.

“We’ll just sit down with the team, there’s a Group 2 race up there that’ll probably suit her, but we’ll just take it one step at time.”

Jockey Daniel Stackhouse, who took the reins back from partner Tatum Bull, said even sitting three-wide facing the breeze he was always confident in his mount’s ability.

“She definitely deserves it today, the race sort of worked out how I thought it would, the two outside runners would take it up and they backed off the tempo,” he said.

“I knew I’d probably be three deep with no cover, which I wasn’t too worried (about) because I knew I was on the best horse in the race.

“First time around Caulfield, she got a little bit lost once we sort of got round the corner and it just took her a while to balance up and go through her gears.

“But once she did that, she felt quite electric and hit the line very strongly, so I still think she’s got a lot of benefit to come but going very well.”

Stackhouse may have had to bump Bull off the horse to regain the ride, but it will still be a happy evening for the couple, with Bull already scoring in race 4 aboard the dominant Frigid.

“I think we’ll probably go to a nice dinner and have a bottle of champagne, which will be quite good,” he said.

“It’s nice for us to both get a winner on a Group 1 day.”