Belinda Blanch can’t work out why Lingani is such an effective wet-tracker, but she’s beyond wasting too much time thinking about it.
Now she just embraces it and gets excited when the star of the Morphettville stable she operates with husband Peter gets the chance to race on one.
That will be the case this Saturday at Flemington, where Lingani will contest the $175,000 Listed Santa Ana Lane Sprint Series Final (1200m).
The five-year-old daughter of America will be in her element when she crosses the border later in the week, with Flemington rated a Soft 7 on Wednesday morning and further downgrades likely with wintry conditions predicted for Victoria right through until raceday.
“When it’s raining at home, she literally stands in her yard with her ears pricked,” Blanch said.
“It’s really interesting with her, because she’s quite a big horse with a big, long stride.
“Traditionally, you’d go, ‘I don’t know if they’ll handle it’, but she just loves it.”
Six of Lingani’s seven wins have been on rain-affected tracks, four of them on Heavy ground.
They are her only four starts on Heavy tracks, the latest coming at her most recent appearance in a 1250m benchmark 84 at Morphettville on June 6.
That was her first run since a second placing to Naifah in the Group 3 Proud Miss Stakes on May 9, her best performance at Stakes grade since her win in the Listed Lightning Stakes two years ago, and Blanch said the time had come to test her in Melbourne again.
Her only prior trip east was for last year’s Group 3 Sir John Monash Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield, in which she finished second-last on a Soft 6 track.
“She’s at the point now with her ratings that she’s limited with races over here,” Blanch said.
“So if it’s going to be wetter somewhere else, then that’s where we’ll go, and a race like this was always going to be the plan for her.”
Lingani drew barrier two for Saturday’s nine-horse event, in which she will be ridden by Kayla Crowther and carry 55kg.
