Accomplished galloper With Your Blessing put a lacklustre last campaign behind him with a gritty first-up victory in the A$160,000 Inglis Classic Sale Handicap (1100m) at Randwick on Saturday.
The New Zealand-bred son of Vadamos kicked off his career with a Canterbury placing back in February of 2021 and had been a consistent performer since then, winning races at Randwick, Newcastle, Kembla Grange and on the Kensington track. He placed on another eight occasions, most of them in Saturday company and up to Benchmark 88 grade.
But the gelding mystified his trainer John Thompson with his alarming dip in form, placing just once from seven appearances between January and August of last year.
Thompson sent him out for a spring spell and then gradually worked his way back up, seeing promising signs in a trial placing on December 9 and a subsequent jumpout. Saturday’s Benchmark 78 put those improved showings to the test on raceday, with a 60.5kg topweight posing an additional challenge. But the six-year-old was right back on top of his game.
Jockey Alysha Collett found a handy position in fourth, one off the rail, then presented With Your Blessing on the outside of the leaders after turning for home.
With Your Blessing kicked hard and hit the lead 200m from the finish, withstanding a late challenge from Cosmonova to win by half a length.
“That last preparation was a bit of a head-scratcher, but he was giving me every indication that he was back to his old self again,” Thompson said. “Alysha came and rode him in a jumpout a week ago and he went super. We thought he was on target for today, and he’s come out and won well.”
With Your Blessing has now had 26 starts for five wins, nine placings and A$432,355 in stakes. He was bought for A$70,000 in Sydney as a yearling.
With Your Blessing was bred by the Hawkins family’s Llanhennock Trust and is by Vadamos out of the Darci Brahma mare Super Trouper. Herself a five-race winner from a 28-start career in the Llanhennock colours, Super Trouper is a half-sister to the stakes-placed Lim’s Dashing.
With Your Blessing is the best of four foals to race so far for Super Trouper, who is also the dam of the three-time Australian winner Super Alana. Super Trouper has an unnamed two-year-old filly by Ole Kirk.
