Trainer Tom Charlton is confident he has identified the correct race for Shangri La Impact to continue her progress at Randwick this Saturday, although her capacity to return to Stakes grade is yet to be confirmed.
The four-year-old daughter of Staphanos is set to contest the $160,000 B&J Guttering & Metal Roofing BM72 Handicap over 1800 metres.
This event for fillies and mares will be her first start against her own sex since last year’s Group 1 Queensland Oaks, and Charlton is pleased with the mare’s current setup.
“It’s the perfect race for her really; fillies and mares, a nice distance for her on home track, so I think it looks a nice option,” Charlton said.
This will be Shangri La Impact’s fifth run under Charlton’s guidance, having initially been trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
Waterhouse and Bott tested her in the Queensland Oaks after commanding back-to-back wins in May last year, but she finished ahead of only one rival in that 2200m race.
Shangri La Impact made a winning debut for Charlton, succeeding in BM64 grade at Kembla Grange on March 3. She followed this with a third-place finish at Newcastle and another win, over 1800m in BM72 grade, at the Randwick Kensington meeting on April 27.
She returned to Saturday grade at Rosehill on May 30 but dropped out late to finish sixth, beaten 6-1/4 lengths, after overdoing it in the early stages.
Nash Rawiller replaces Dylan Gibbons for Saturday’s event, where Shangri La Impact is drawn barrier two. Charlton is hopeful for a more economical run.
“She doesn’t have to lead but she naturally has herself in a forward position,” he said.
“Last time we just went a bit too quick, we had a bit of pressure on our outside and you could see the race how it developed that it suited the backmarkers.”
“So I think there was a genuine excuse and I think also getting back on a sounder surface might be more beneficial as well.”
Shangri La Impact is currently the second favourite according to leading online bookmakers for Saturday’s BM72 handicap, with Chris Waller’s lightly-raced British mare Nasebah heading the market.
Consider checking out the betting markets for the race on various Australian betting sites to get the latest odds.
