BENDIGO trainer Sean Mott is confident In Her Honour can make her presence felt on her home track on Sunday.
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The five-year-old mare will contest the 1600m benchmark 64 (race 9) and, in spite of her early $21 price, looks well in contention on the strength of her excellent victory at Geelong last month.
In Her Honour had plenty of excuses at her next run at Sandown, when she finished towards the back of the 10-horse field.
The mare did well to finish within five-lengths of the winner after racing wide from the 800-metres before being tightened for room from the 500m and becoming severely unbalanced.
Mott conceded he had been quietly confident at Sandown, but believed In Her Honour was more than capable of bouncing back and figuring in the finish on Sunday.
"She was very unlucky at Sandown, getting hampered mid-race - the stewards' film shows it clearly," he said.
"So we'll go there quite bullish, especially with barrier one.
"Her win at Geelong was nice - both Campbell (jockey Campbell Rawiller) and I thought she would go quite well.
"I thought she'd run top five, Campbell thought top-three, but she got the job done, hence we went to Sandown quite bullish.
"She's done well since and we both expect her to run really well."
Named in honour of Mott's late wife, Deanna, the mare has proven a handy purchase for his owners with four wins and three placings from 25 starts, for earnings of $64,150.
"She's not a progressive horse - she is what she is - so it's about placing her well," Mott said.
"One of the reasons for the quick turnaround from Sandown this Sunday is that exactly two weeks later there is a 2000m benchmark 64 at Mornington.
"She won over that course and distance on Easter Sunday and that was when she really found her form."
"I won't race in her January, she doesn't like the real firm tracks, so she will have a bit of a freshen up in order to be active around that April-Easter time when there's a little bit of cut in the ground.
"One of those metro mares race is what we are thinking longer term, as the owner wants to breed from her eventually.
"He raced the grandmother (Military Amour) and the mother (Miss Kempinsky) too, and now this one."
A nine-race program brimming with acceptances, is sprinkled with Bendigo-trained runners with leading chances.
The pick of the chances include the highly-promising Brendon Hearps-trained maiden Zoutons (race 2), Don't Make Wait (Neville Kennedy) and Queen Guinevere (Shane Fliedner), who will go head-to-head in the 2200m benchmark 64 handicap, and Beyond The Stars for Jarrod Robinson (race 4).
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