South Australian trainer Richard Jolly tackles Bel Esprit Stakes with gun sprinter Aviatress

Adelaide sprinter Aviatress is chasing another stakes win in Saturday’s Bel Esprit Stakes at Caulfield before she heads to the paddock.

The Robert Sangster Stakes didn’t go to plan for Aviatress, but trainer Richard Jolly is hopeful his sprinting mare can rediscover winning ways in Saturday’s Listed Bel Esprit Stakes at Caulfield.

Aviatress returned to form with a fourth placing in last start’s Straight Six (1200m) at Flemington, three weeks after finishing second last in the Group 1 Sangster (1200m) at Morphettville.

• PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet’s team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW!

Under pressure a long way from home, the Sangster run remains a little bemusing to Jolly, but the trainer was pleased to see the stakes-winning mare back among the action at Flemington, where she was beaten less than a length.

“She just had a bit of an off day in the Sangster, we’re not sure what was wrong to be honest,” Jolly, who trains in partnership with daughter, Chantelle, said.

“Her blood was a bit ordinary after the run but she bounced back pretty quickly.

“She ran really well the other day down the straight, if she could’ve been on that outside section, it was playing a little bit better where the winner came down.

“There wasn’t much in it but it certainly would’ve made a bit of a difference.”

The heavily-backed Aviatress is a class above first-up in the Listed Matrice Stakes, grabbing her second Stakes honour & sixth victory from 12 starts 🚀

Jake Toeroek & @RJollyRacing claim their respective doubles 👏 pic.twitter.com/bxwPC0SuZD

— Racing.com (@Racing) March 29, 2025

Saturday’s assignment will be the mare’s final run this preparation, she won the Matrice Stakes first-up at Morphettville, a second career stakes win.

“She pulled up well, we thought we would roll the dice and give her one more run before a break,” he said.

“It’s not an easy field, if anything it looks a bit tougher, but she’s going well and her best is certainly good enough.

“She won’t have a long spell, but she’ll probably have 3-4 weeks and we’ll probably look at some mares stakes race throughout the spring.”

• No Frankie, no worries for Giga Kick in Group 1 attack

Aviatress will be ridden by Zac Spain and is a $11 chance with Sportsbet for Saturday’s Bel Esprit Stakes (1100m).

Jolly also has last start winner Star Sirius in a Benchmark 78 (1200m), and Pudding in a Benchmark 84 (2000m) on the nine-race Caulfield card.

“Darren Thomas (Seymour Bloodstock) will probably breed from her (Star Sirius) I’d say, so it was good to get a win at Flemington on her CV, it wasn’t a surprise, we didn’t take her over there guessing, we thought she was up to those kind of races,” he said.

“She’s in good form, I’m sure she’ll give a good sight.

“Pudding’s last couple of runs have been good actually, on paper its just fifth and sixth but he’s had no luck in either race.

“I’m really pleased with how he’s going, he just needs a bit of luck in the race which he hasn’t had.”

Aviatress winning the Northwood Plume Stakes at Caulfield last year. Picture: Racing Photos via Getty Images

Jolly has 12 runners across Victoria and South Australia on Saturday, and he’s taking the stable’s lone runner to Hawker, with veteran gelding Shakespeare tackling the Hawker Cup (1750m).

“We’ve got all these runners and I’m doing the Hawker run,” he said.

“We’re leaving tomorrow morning, we’ll get up there and stay the night.”

• ‘Ticked every box’: Comeback mare set to strike at Caulfield

Jolly has also bid farewell to stable star See You In Heaven, the six-time stakes winner was sold for $1m at Tuesday’s Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale on the Gold Coast.

“You know its always going to come to an end at some stage,” Jolly said.

“She’s rising six (years old) and we bought her as a yearling, you certainly get attached to them.

“She couldn’t win a Group 1 race, but it was like winning one, getting $1m for her. We thought she was pretty valuable but to actually get that much was pretty amazing.

“All the owners were rapt with what she achieved.

“I don’t think I’ll get another horse like her, in 22 starts she never raced out of stakes grade, it’s pretty hard to achieve that with something else.”

Originally published as South Australian trainer Richard Jolly tackles Bel Esprit Stakes with gun sprinter Aviatress