Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Shalini is a five-year-old mare bred in the purple who will be making an overdue return to racing when she lines up at barrier four for trainer Matt Scott and reinsman Shannon Suvaljko in the $21,000 Foton Media Autumn Series Maiden Final Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
This will be only her fifth start in a race and her first appearance for 14 months.
Shalini, bred by Bryan Cousins, is by boom American sire Sweet Lou and is out of the brilliant mare Innocent Eyes, who was retired with earnings of $421,875 from 18 wins and 17 placings from 62 starts, with her wins including the Victorian and Australian Oaks in 2005, the 2006 Chariots Of Fire and the Vicbred Super Series for four-year-old mares.
“Chris Voak gave Shalini two starts as a two-year-old at Gloucester Park in August 2022 when she broke in running and was unplaced,” said Scott. “He then recommended that I should take over training her, and she won a trial for me at Byford in December 2023.
“I then started Shalini in a race at Pinjarra the following month when she galloped and finish a distant sixth. At her next start, at Pinjarra a month later, she finished second to Louis Rouge. But she then suffered a minor tendon injury and went out for nine months.
“She has now come back without any problems and has pulled up well after finishing third behind Haveyoumetted in a Byford trial last Saturday and is ready to run a good race on Friday night, even though she will need the run.
“She is not the best out of the gate and is still learning. She has got ability and will win races.”
Miki Windermere, an inexperienced four-year-old, is expected to be a short-priced favourite in Friday night’s event in which he will start from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line, with Stuart McDonald driving the horse for part-owner and Bunbury trainer Steve De Campo.
Miki Windermere notched his first win at his sixth start when he set the pace from the No. 1 barrier and scored by four and a half lengths from Ee Jay Why, rating 1.59 over 2185m at Pinjarra on Monday.
A week earlier at Pinjarra, Miki Windermere led when an excellent 2m second to Gaitcrasher when the final 800m was covered in 56.2sec.
Another fancied runner is likely to be the polemarker Alreddy Flyin, who is owned, trained and driven by Dean Miller. The four-year-old mare notched her first win at her 23RD start when he led from the No. 2 barrier and won by 10m from Graces Star, rating a modest 2.3.9 over 2242m.