Lovani to be aimed at Kensei Handicap

Trainer Brad Widdup is hoping Lovani is well weighted in the Kensei Handicap at Rosehill.

Brad Widdup is hoping the Rosehill track remains rain-affected with the handicapper his main concern with Lovani.

The Hawkesbury trainer had planned to run the mare on Saturday at Randwick,and although the heavy ground was in her favour, her 61kg in the Winter Racing Handicap (2000m) did not appeal.

Lovani will instead resume racing in Sydney at Rosehill on Saturday in the Kensei Handicap (2000m).

“She wasn’t well weighted against a couple of others so there’s the Kensei where I’m going to drop weight and go up in grade again.” Widdup said.

“I’m happy to do that more than give her a hard run. I don’t want to bust her just yet because there’s a couple of races coming up.”

One is the Listed Winter Cup (2400m) at Rosehill on June 30.

“It’s a mile-and-a-half and people will probably say I’m mad but I think she’s shown if she gets the right conditions she’ll be thereabouts,” he said.

Widdup continues to seek an elusive black-type win for the four-year-old, and laments her second to $151 chance Anton En Avant in the Group Three Chairman’s Handicap (2000m) at Doomben on May 12.

“She should have won two starts back if Tim (Clark) had stayed where he was,” he said.

“He tried to get out on supposedly the better part of the track and the winner has come up the inside where she was.”

Lovani has had seven runs in her first preparation for Widdup and has worked well since her-last start fifth in the Group Three Premier’s Cup (2200m).

There were 14 nominations for the Kensei Handicap on Monday including the Chris Waller-trained quartet of Black On Gold, Sayed, Vassal and Dagny, a last start winner of the Eremein Handicap at Rosehill on June 2.

Dagny is also entered for the Listed Ipswich Cup (2150m) in Queensland on Saturday.