Comeback mare Niance primed to strike in Bel Esprit Stakes at Caulfield

Trainer Grahame Begg has a high opinion of Group 3 winner Niance and has found a “nice race” for her return in the Bel Esprit Stakes at Caulfield.

Group 3-winner Niance could be the beneficiary of a high-pressure Listed Bel Esprit Stakes (1100m) on Saturday at Caulfield.

The Grahame Begg-trained mare, a six-time winner from 10 starts including Listed and Group 3 races last campaign, has drawn out but should land within striking distance behind the speed.

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The 1100m sprint is loaded with on-pace horses including Cleo Cat, Recommendation, Midwest, Fickle and Acromantula.

“She’s got good gate speed, tactical speed herself,” Begg said.

“She doesn’t have to lead to be able to win a race.

“Hopefully she’ll get a nice sit on them and give herself every chance.

“She’s ticked every box so far.”

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Niance is a $2.40 favourite from Cleo Cat ($5) and Recommendation ($8).

“It looks a nice race for her,” Begg said.

“A very competitive race, a pretty strong race for this time of year.

“I’ve seen other years gone by they haven’t had full fields.”

Niance makes her return at Caulfield on Saturday. Picture: Michael Klein

The 15-horse field on Saturday, following the withdrawal of Pisanello, is the biggest since 2020.

Niance has primarily raced in fillies and mares restricted company to date but Begg said the five-year-old could “take the next step”.

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“We’ll have to think about things after Saturday, what the right path to go with her,” Begg said.

“There’s certainly races like the Monash and Bletchingly stakes … we’ll study the programs, how they shape up and go from there.

“She won two stakes races last spring against the mares, so we certainly think highly of her and think she’s certainly got the ability to take the next step.”

Begg has Splash Back resuming on Saturday in a 1200m Benchmark 78.

“She’s a nice mare, a pretty progressive horse,” Begg said.

“She’s running at 1200m which will be interesting, it’s short of her best distance but it’s a nice start off point for her.”

Originally published as Comeback mare Niance primed to strike in Bel Esprit Stakes at Caulfield