Racing: Classy mare faces strong opposition in comeback

There will be plenty of interest shown in Beaudiene Bad Babe's return to racing. Photo / Christine Cornege

In any normal race on any normal race night at Alexandra Park Southlander Beaudiene Bad Babe would start a short-priced favourite.

After all, her stats are hard to ignore. She comes to Alexandra Park tomorrow night the winner of 21 races, is a last-start winner at the Harness Jewels and has trialled in sensational fashion for her comeback race.

But while she may start favourite and can win, trainer Murray Brown knows his pride and joy is up against it on one of the strongest race nights compiled at Alexandra Park in the past decade.

Almost every race brings together superstars or those heading in that direction and Beaudiene Bad Babe's task, the $30,000 Northern Breeders Stakes, is no different.

She clashes with one of our greatest-ever fillies in De Lovely, also making her comeback to the races tomorrow night, as well as a fellow Jewels winner in Gotta Go Harmony, New Zealand's second fastest-ever racemare in Trigirl Brigade, national record holder Breath Of Life and three other mares who have won three of their past five starts.

So while happy with Beaudiene Bad Babe, Brown is understandably cautious.

"She is as well as I can get her without racing, but at this level racing makes all the difference."

Beaudiene Bad Bade has paced a fast 2:43 for 2200m in one of her three lead-up trials and slid over her final 800m in a blazing 55 seconds in another. But Alexandra Park is on fire at the moment and she may need to pace around 2:40 to win tomorrow night if her rivals get serious.

"There are a lot of good mares here, we know how good De Lovely is, and I am sure my mare will improve with the run," said Brown.

"We are going there to win, even though next week's race is bigger, but it is going to be a great race."

With Kiwi Ingenuity retired and going to be served by Bettors Delight, Beaudiene Bad Babe has claims to being New Zealand's best racemare but De Lovely could be even better.

She was simply exceptional in the second half of last season and while many champion fillies do not reproduce that form at four, she is bred to do so and has already run times suggesting she will.

She trialled well when third to Sleepy Tripp on this track last Wednesday and has drawn what could be the perfect draw behind speedster Trigirl Brigade.

However, the best horses trained formerly by the suspended Geoff Small, and now his brother Ian, are notorious for not being 100 per cent screwed down in their comeback races.

That will provide a decent headache for TAB bookmakers as they try to set a market for the race and that will not be their only tricky task tomorrow night.

The depth of fields is outstanding, with vintage head-to-head clashes between the likes of Carabella and Bettor Cover Lover; Five Star Anvil and Sir Lincoln, I Can Doosit, Stylish Monarch and One Over Kenny; and Sleepy Tripp against glamour stablemate Russley Rascal, to mention a few.

And the meeting of elite 3-year-olds Gold Ace, Empyrean and Terror To Love in race four transform a three-win race into a mini Derby trial.

Get tomorrow's OnForm for a full page of Alexandra Park previews.

NIGHT OF STARS

* Alexandra Park has drawn remarkably strong fields tomorrow night.
* One of the great head to head clashes will be between Harness Jewels heroines Beaudiene Bad Babe and De Lovely.
* TAB bookmakers face a nightmare setting markets for the premier race night.