Belinda Blanch, co-trainer of Lingani, is puzzled by the mare’s exceptional wet-track performances but is happy to embrace it.
She is particularly excited for the five-year-old’s chance to race on a rain-affected surface this Saturday at Flemington.
Lingani is set to compete in the $175,000 Listed Santa Ana Lane Sprint Series Final over 1200 metres. The mare is expected to relish the conditions, with Flemington rated a Soft 7 on Wednesday and further track downgrades predicted for Victoria through to raceday.
“When it’s raining at home, she literally stands in her yard with her ears pricked,” Blanch stated.
“It’s really interesting with her, because she’s quite a big horse with a big, long stride.”
“Traditionally, you’d go, ‘I don’t know if they’ll handle it’, but she just loves it.”
Six of Lingani’s seven wins have been on rain-affected ground, with four of those on heavy going.
These four wins on heavy tracks are her only starts on such surfaces. Her most recent was a 1250m benchmark 84 win at Morphettville on June 6.
That run followed a second placing to Naifah in the Group 3 Proud Miss Stakes on May 9, her best Stakes-grade result since winning the Listed Lightning Stakes two years ago. Blanch believes it is the right time to test her in Melbourne again.
Her sole previous trip east was for last year’s Group 3 Sir John Monash Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield, where she finished second-last on a Soft 6.
“She’s at the point now with her ratings that she’s limited with races over here,” Blanch commented.
“So if it’s going to be wetter somewhere else, then that’s where we’ll go, and a race like this was always going to be the plan for her.”
Lingani has drawn barrier two for the nine-horse field on Saturday and will carry 55kg with Kayla Crowther in the saddle.
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