A heavy track will suit the Ethan Ensby-trained Rainbow Lass, which is set to go around as a major player in the 1300m Benchmark 58 Handicap at Ballina on Thursday.
The transferred Lismore meeting, set to be hosted by Ballina Jockey Club, will likely be run on a heavy surface (heavy 10 at the time of publishing).
Rainbow Lass, A $5,000 Bloodstockauction.com yearling purchase from the annual Arrowfield Online Yearling catalogue, has excelled on rain-affected surfaces recently, boasting a stellar record on heavy tracks (3:2-1-0) and good form on the northern Rivers circuit.
Three starts back, the 3YO Pariah filly took on the 1000m Maiden Plate at Ballina on a heavy 10 and only went down by a neck.
The Casino-trained filly then followed that effort up with back-to-back wins – both on heavy surfaces.
Racing on her home track on May 3, Rainbow Lass (Sariah Champkin, $2.60) raced just behind the speed before finding enough to win by a length in the 1000m Maiden Plate.
Racing at Casino again on May 30, Izzy Neale was in the saddle, and despite drifting in the market from $4.60 to $7.50, Rainbow Lass was a half-length winner in the 1200m Benchmark 58 Handicap.
At Ballina, connections have drawn kindly with gate 4, and with Neale back in the saddle, the two-kilogram claim means Rainbow Lass will carry 58.5kg when racing in favourable conditions.
It’s set to be a good meeting at Ballina, with 111 acceptances on the eight-race program.
Gates open at 11.30am and the Ballina Jockey Club are offering free entry to their race day.
Ballina Tips – Thursday, June 12
Race 1: No Ragrets
Race 2: Denuto
Race 3: Almalikat Sarah
Race 4: Viadelamore
Race 5: Hardley Grey
Race 6: Yalla
Race 7: Rainbow Lass
Race 8: Make It So
Track conditions
Rail Position: True Entire
Track Type: Turf
Track Condition: Heavy 10
Weather: Fine
