A talented and still progressing filly is set to make her provincial breakthrough when she tackles the feature race at Monday’s Beaumont meeting in Newcastle.
Pensativa, from the Lou Mary stable at Scone, claimed her second win three weeks back when careering away to win a class 2 handicap at Gunnedah.
Pensativa is primed to break through at Newcastle on Monday.Credit: Getty Images
That victory represented an important bounce-back for the daughter of group 1 winner Impending after everything went wrong as a short-priced favourite at Muswellbrook the start before.
Ridden a long way back, Pensativa seemingly resented a heavy-rated surface that performed poorly and was very chopped up.
Back on firm ground at Gunnedah, she was ridden closer and kept out of trouble, sweeping away over the final part and easily running the quickest time in three races over 1300m.
It all confirmed Pensativa’s overwhelming preference for dry tracks having won two from four, yet she’s still to run a place from three starts on any rain-affected ground.
Ahead of this latest challenge in a benchmark 66 handicap over 1350m, the Beaumont surface was rated a Good 4 in the lead-up, although a late Monday storm is being forecasted so connections and punters alike will be watching the clock all the way to the jump.
Either way, there’ll be pressure on the filly’s new jockey, Irish-born Ronan Whelan, who takes over from Jake Pracey-Holmes.
Now 32, Whelan won a group 1 at The Curragh back in late 2018, and during his time across Ireland twice won four races on the same program.
