Last year’s Golden Slipper winner She Will Reign returned to the race track with an effortless all the way win in the $250,000 Inglis Sprint (1100m) at Warwick Farm today.
Trainer Gary Portelli will now turn his attention to the Melbourne Autumn Carnival and set She will Reign for the Group 1 $500,000 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield on February 24.
Winning jockey Ben Melham has to resort to different tactics today on She Will Reign who likes to settle back in the field and he took the Manhattan Rain filly to the front when there was no real speed in the small six horse field.
She Will Reign was sent out as the $1.24 favourite and her followers who took the short price were never in any trouble of collecting with the filly dominating from start to finish.
The Brad Widdup trainer Acqume ($13) wasn’t disgraced in running home for second while Limbo Soul ($10) filled the third position.
Portelli will see how She Will Rein pulls up before confirming a trip to Melbourne to chase another Group 1 win after she took out the Group 1 $500,000 Charter Keck Cramer Moir Stakes (1000m) at The Valley during the 2017 Melbourne Spring Carnival.
Portelli said that Melham was hinting that She Will Reign would be able to back up next week in the Group 1 $750,000 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) at Flemington but the top Warwick Farm trainer wants to stick to his original plan and head to Caulfield.
“I think the Oakleigh Plate is a better race for her,” Portelli said.
“I think she can go to the front like she did today but I think she is a better horse when she is chasing. She has showed that and a fast run Oakleigh Plate would be better than taking on Redzel and all those horses down the (Flemington) straight.”
“Today Benny said he was on a ‘$1.20 favourite here and I can’t leave anything to chance. I have to go forward and I have to make a race of it’ and he put the foot down coming to the corner and he had them all beat and it looked like he looked after late.”
She Will Reign is now the $5 second favourite for the Oakleigh Plate at Ladbrokes.com.au behind the Team Snowden trained Russian Revolution who heads the market order at $4.50.
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