Jason Warren is weighing up his options with Group 1-winning mare Benedetta following the rescheduling of the Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm.
The $1 million race was postponed after last Saturday’s washout and is now slated for this weekend, forcing a rethink for Warren’s stable as Benedetta was also a major contender for the Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) on June 8.
“The conundrum for us now is it rules out one of the Group Ones that we had as a target,” Warren explained.
“The 1300 (on Saturday) would have been ideal, we were well-suited at the weights and well-placed.
“But I think it rules out one of the races. Essentially, we have to skip the Kingsford Smith now and go to the Stradbroke or skip the Stradbroke and to the Tatt’s Tiara, which that then impacts on your spring when you’re talking only a matter of weeks in the paddock.”
The Tattersall’s Tiara (1400m), a Group 1 event for fillies and mares, will be held on June 28 at Eagle Farm and is Australia’s final elite-level race of the season.
If the Kingsford Smith is bypassed, Benedetta could trial later this week to stay race-fit ahead of her next assignment.
The mare has already run five times this year in Group 1 company, beginning with her placing in the Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) in February and most recently finishing fourth in the Doomben 10,000 (1200m).
Her campaign has also included a runner-up finish in the William Reid Stakes, as well as efforts in the Newmarket Handicap (1200m) and All Aged Stakes (1400m).
This Saturday’s card has been boosted to include the Kingsford Smith Cup alongside the Queensland Oaks, Queensland Derby and the Helen Coughlan Stakes.