Trainer Mark Walker is adopting a measured approach with the highly-rated mare Bellatrix Star as she nears a return to the racetrack, a strategy informed by his past experiences with the horse over the last two seasons.
Her comeback race is slated for this Saturday in the $200,000 Group 3 Sir John Monash Stakes, to be contested at Caulfield.
This 1100-metre weight-for-age event will be Bellatrix Star’s first start since finishing last in the Listed Doveton Stakes in November. This followed her appearance in the Group 1 Champions Sprint over 12 months prior, where she failed to feature.
After finishing as the runner-up to Switzerland in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes, Bellatrix Star has not yet managed to reach the heights Walker predicted for her as a mare. However, he remains hopeful that the rising five-year-old still has more to achieve.
“We’ve had a lot of problems with her and she’s been off the scene for a long time,” Walker mentioned.
“She had an accident coming home from the swimming pool, she fractured her neck when a loose horse ran past and she reared up and fell over.
“We got her over that, then she had her first start back and she chipped a fetlock and had to go for fetlock surgery.
“That’s just racing, you take the good with the bad. She’s still very lightly-raced, so if she ran well on Saturday, hopefully we get things back on track.”
Bellatrix Star has a solid record, winning five of her 12 starts. Key victories include Group 2 wins in the Eclipse Stakes (1200m) in New Zealand and the Schillaci Stakes (1100m) against older horses, which occurred just before her run in the Coolmore Stud Stakes.
The Star Witness filly has been given a consistent build-up, including two trials and two jumpouts. In her most recent jumpout at Cranbourne last Monday, she recorded a decisive two-length victory over Midnight Devil and Pinstriped.
Craig Williams, who partnered Bellatrix Star for her Schillaci Stakes win, was also on board for her latest workout. Walker views it positively that the premiership-leading jockey is committed to riding her on raceday.
“It was encouraging that Craig rode her in the jumpout and he’s riding her raceday, so that gives us a bit of a push,” Walker stated.
Bellatrix Star was among 19 nominations for the Monash Stakes, with Matt Smith’s classy gelding Headwall being a notable potential rival.
The Sir John Monash Stakes promises to be an exciting race. Those keen to bet can find the best betting sites with sign-up bonus in Australia for all the latest racing odds.
