Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Brilliant mare Steno is being set for the $50,000 Lombardo Pace next Friday week after she maintained her grand form in winning the $50,000 group 3 Lord Mayor’s Cup over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Trainer Jocelyn Young sent Steno, the $1.70 favourite, straight to the front from the favourable No. 2 barrier, and she drove conservatively over the lead time in a slow 38sec. and the opening 400m sections in modest times of 30.8sec. and 29.8sec. before she dashed over the final 800m in 56.8sec.
Young had to survive a scare when seasoned star performer and triple Group 1 winner Mighty Ronaldo ($9.50) thundered home with a dazzling late burst to fail by a half-head.
Jawsoflincoln, a $20 chance and a stablemate of Mighty Ronaldo, was an excellent third after working in the breeze throughout.
“In the warm-up I realised that Steno was bit unders,” said Young. “Then we got an easy lead and an easy first quarter, and normally she can get rolling from there. I was a bit concerned with Water Lou ($3.50) on my back, considering the way that mare had finished when third behind Steno a fortnight ago.
“So, I did try to hold back a lot more (to keep Water Lou in a pocket) more than I normally do. Steno pulled up really big in condition, so there is plenty of improvement in her.
“I went from cruising to have a lot of quality horses coming at her, and I was probably silly to have been worried by just one horse.”
Young said that Steno would be set for the Group 3 Lombardo Pace and then the $35,000 Golden Girls Mile at Pinjarra on March 17. Steno’s only appearance at Pinjarra was in the 1684m Golden Girls Mile last March when she rated 1.53.6. Those races would be followed by the $75,000 Empress Stakes over 2536m on April 18. Steno finished second to Aardiebytheseaside in the 2024 Empress Stakes.
Steno now has earned $569,913 from 24 wins and 13 placings from 49 starts. She became the third mare in the 49-year history of the Lord Mayor’s Cup to win the race, following the successes of Windy Jean in 1978 and Another One For Me in 2012.
Seven-year-old Mighty Ronaldo, making his first appearance for 15 weeks, since finishing third behind Minstrel and Mister Smartee in the 2536m WA Pacing Cup on November 8, was most impressive on Friday night. He enjoyed a good passage in racing in sixth position, one-out and two-back, before starting a three-wide burst with 320m to travel and surging home to just fail to catch Steno.
“He went super,” said trainer-reinsman Justin Prentice. “He also went huge in last year’s Lord Mayor’s Cup when he ran on from near on last to finish a very close fourth behind Tricky Miki.”
Prentice was also delighted with the first-up runs of Jawsoflincoln and Tricky Miki, who ran home strongly from seventh at the bell to finish fourth. “The three horses will be prepared to run in the Pinjarra Cup on Monday week,” he said.