By Jonny Turner
The Kentuckiana Lodge team are hoping to breathe a sigh of relief after Beside Me starts at Addington on Friday night.
The beautifully bred mare will return to racing for the Cran and Chrissie Dalgety stable after what can only be described as a frustrating spring.
A series of minor issues and hiccups meant Beside Me missed crucial starts which put her on the back foot when she was taking on race-hardened rivals.
“One thing we know is that it doesn’t matter how good you are, you can’t afford to be taking on the best when you are on the back foot," Cran said.
“We were working frantically behind the scenes to get her to her targets but we were chasing our tails.”
“It was a shame because when you have a smart one like her the last thing you want is to be limited to three starts during the peak of spring racing.”
After a quick freshener before the festive season, the Kentuckiana team are hopeful the mare’s frustrations are behind her.
“We pushed the reset button, but we didn’t have to hold it down for too long," Cran said.
“She seems very bright and well and ready to make up for lost opportunities.”
"It is great to have her looking and feeling so well, but if she can show us she's back to her old self at the races, it will be a great relief."
“We have popped her back into a grade race which we would think she would be extra competitive in.
The targets beyond this week for Beside Me should be no great mystery.
“With two nice mares’ races coming up at Addington, it is ideal to get this run into her.”
“We will attack those and then look at options further afield.”
“They look nice targets for a mare coming out of age-group company and having her first crack at older mares.”
Kentuckiana Lodge also have Show Stopper returning to racing on Friday night.
The three-year-old is one from one after winning her debut in June.
“She looks to have found the perfect race to get back into.”
“We put her aside after her first start and she has come back a bit bolder and a bit wiser.”
“From the draw, there shouldn’t be too many excuses for her.”
Treacherous Dreams is also back in action at Addington after his big win on Invercargill Cup Day.
“He’s freshened up nicely and his work has been very pleasing.”
“It looks an interesting draw (12), the horse in front of us can leave the gate but isn’t one of the big fancies.”
“If we can settle handy enough to them they will know he is there for sure.”
Kentuckiana Lodge also has Tetrick backing up at Addington after his decisive win at Oamaru on Wednesday.
