Former West Australian trained mare Sheidel will now head to Adelaide for the Group 1 $400,000 UBET Classic (Registered as Robert Sangster Stakes) (1200m) at Morphettville on May 7 after scoring a narrow win at Caulfield last Saturday.
Sheidel, red and white checks, hold off Girl Guide to win the Bel Esprit Stakes at Caulfield. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Damien Oliver gave Sheidel the run of the race to secure her twelfth win from eighteen starts and her first for Lindsay Park trainers David Hayes and Tom Dabernig with a nose victory in the Listed $120,000 Sheen Group Bel Esprit Stakes (1100m).
Sheidel had been hampered with awkward barrier draws at her two previous starts for the Lindsay Park Team but Oliver was able to settle the mare just behind the two leaders before giving her a clear run to the line in the home straight, holding off the fast finishing Girl Guide and Under The Louvre.
“I think she’s just coming right and, based on her record in Perth, it’s clear she can hold her form, too,” Dabernig said.
“We’ll look at sending her to Adelaide now for the Robert Sangster.
“She’s lovely and sound and appears pretty straightforward.
“She’s almost does a little too well, so I think she really benefited from those first two runs.”
“I think she’s now getting near peak fitness … and she’ll be pretty well spot-on heading to Adelaide in a fortnight’s time.”
While under the care of West Australian trainer David Harrison, Sheidel was able to win eleven of her fifteen starts in the West.
Dabernig said that her return to the winner’s stall could also be attributed to a couple of gear changes they made on the mare with the removal of her crossover noseband and the tongue tie.
“We made a gear change which we thought long and hard about. It’s always hard to change a horse that’s been wearing winning gear,” Dabernig said.
“Her gear in WA was a noseband and tongue tie.
“We just felt her two runs for us she wasn’t beginning the best and we thought maybe she was resenting the gear so we took it all off.
“On Saturday she was able to jump cleanly … she was almost over-travelling.”
Sheidel is still at the healthy odds of $21 in the Robert Sangster Stakes market order that has the Ciaron Maher trained Petits Filous as the $5.50 favourite ahead of Don’t Doubt Mamma at $7 and Group 1 Galaxy winner Griante at $8.
