Port Macquarie trainer Jenny Graham has two chances to make her mark in a black type race at Canterbury on Friday.
Photo by Racing and Sports
Graham, boasting one of the best strike rates among country trainers in NSW, is not backing away from taking on Sydney's top stables in the $100,000 PJ Bell Stakes (1200m) with her talented fillies Alcancia and Leviosa.
Peter Snowden and Gai Waterhouse dominate the field. Snowden has accepted with four of his quality fillies Altar, Anise, Aerobatics and Detours while Waterhouse has last start Rosehill winner and G1 placed Hallowell Belle in the field.
However Hallowell Belle is also an acceptor for Saturday's $500,000 TJ Smith Stakes at Randwick and may take on just six rivals in that Group One event after drawing poorly in gate 17 in Friday's Canterbury race.
Graham's pair have built excellent records and she sees Friday's race as an ideal chance for the pair to earn black type.
"It's a very strong field but my fillies are racing well and deserve their chance in this class," Graham said.
Alcancia has recorded three wins and two placings from her eight starts while Leviosa is the winner of four from seven with her last start fourth over 1300m against older horses on the Kensington track at Randwick on April 1 the first time she has missed a place.
"Leviosa was forced to lead on the fence at Randwick and that wasn't the place to be," Graham said.
"She is drawn in 16 on Friday but will come in a couple of gates with scratchings and Robert Thompson says being drawn wide is the best place for her."
Thompson has ridden Leviosa in all but one of her seven starts and elected to stick with the Magic Albert filly on Friday after Graham gave him the choice of her stablemates.
Glyn Schofield will take over on Alcancia, who was out of luck finishing a close fourth over 1100m at Canterbury at her last start at her second run after a spell when she was badly held up for a clear run.
"I really can't split the pair and Robert said it was a toss of the coin for him to stick with Leviosa," Graham said.
"I expect them to both run really well. They only need some luck with the right runs in the big field."
