Cantiamo didn’t score by the margin her short price suggested, but she did enough to break her maiden at the Kensington midweek meeting and set herself on a path to stronger assignments.
Ridden patiently by James McDonald, the $1.55 favourite took most of the straight to overhaul Nullarbor Jane ($4.80) by a long head in the MyPlates Handicap (1150m) on Wednesday, in a run that trainer Kris Lees felt was better than it appeared.
“I think there was still a bit of merit to the win,” Lees said.
“They don’t pay any more if they win by spaces, but she is a work in progress.
“She’s got a lot of improvement to come and I think she will measure up to some better races in time.”
Lees said the Group 2 Furious Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on September 6 was a possible target, depending on how the filly pulls up from the run.
Chris Waller also unearthed a promising three-year-old in Sixties ($2.90 fav), a full brother to Group 1 sprinter Artorius, who cruised home by seven lengths in the Inglis Xtra Bonus Handicap (1150m) to give McDonald an early double.
“We’ve always had a bit of time for him, he has just taken a bit longer than we thought to show it,” Waller said.
“Ticking the box of the first win is always important. I never get too far ahead of myself but I will go away a bit more excited to say, ‘OK, what can we find for you?’.“
Waller said a Saturday handicap over 1200m or 1300m could be next to allow gradual progression towards late spring features.
Punters can explore the latest betting markets for the Furious Stakes to secure early value ahead of the feature.