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Tara Jasmine – the unbeaten mare at her home track of Grafton – is showing no signs her winning run at her favourite course is about to end any time soon.
The four-year-old will again start favourite (currently $1.65 on TAB) on Tuesday when she contests the Jacaranda Prelude over 1106m.
Grafton trainer John Shelton has every reason to be confident after Tara Jasmine has already recorded four wins form as many starts at Grafton.
The experienced conditioner has had other horses with similar records and he believes the lighter weight despite the step up in grade will allow the lightly raced mare to again produce her best.
Tara Jasmine, who will be ridden by Ben Looker, gave her rivals a start and a sound beating by almost two lengths in record time for the 1175m on September 28.
She clocked 1.7.9 seconds and started as an odds-on favourite in Class 3 grade and the odds are likely to be similar despite stepping up to open grade.
"She had 61.5 kilograms last start and drops to 56.5 kilograms so that is a bonus. Ben is two wins from two rides on her and even though she is back in distance a touch, her record at the track is faultless," he said.
"I have had other horses with similar records at certain tracks and all you can put it down to is that some horses just perform best at certain tracks.
"I have taken her away to Randwick twice before and she has been disappointing so all I can put it down to is she doesn't go as well away from home."
Tara Jasmine is something of a breeding rarity being by little known sire Cowboy Blue from Carmela Miss who was also raced by her part-owner and breeder Bill O'donnell.
He races Tara Jasmine with his brother Tony and so far she has excelled with four victories and three placings from 10 starts. If Tara Jasmine wins again on Tuesday she will pass $100,000 in earnings.
Not bad for a horse who is so lightly raced and is by a stallion who never raced and is a son of renown sire, High Chaparral.
"I think Bill was looking for a stallion to breed his mare to and this one was available and she has turned out to be pretty good," he said. "She has a really good turn of foot and that would be her best asset.
"I thought she may have been in trouble last start when she was back a fair way, but she can finish off very fast."
Shelton previously trained Tarbert for the O'donnell brothers and was able to win three consecutive races with him – albeit it at different tracks – in January and February of 2019.
Tara Jasmine ran second last in the Country Championships Final behind Art Cadeau at Randwick in April, but then bounced back to win first-up at Grafton before failing at Randwick.
There is no place like home for Tara Jasmine and despite her hot record she is in for her toughest test against the likes of Bel Academy ($7.50), Fair Dinkum ($16), Zac Attack ($11) and See It Thru ($6.50).
"The track will be perfect for her on Tuesday if we don't get more rain. She is never real flash out of the gates, but she has good speed to be in touch and finish off very strongly," he suggested.
"She has a stack of ability and I think the fact she likes racing at Grafton so much where she is trained in a bonus. I suppose some horses have things they like and dislike and she just likes racing at home."
Bel Academy has won three of his past four starts, while Zac Attack is first-up after 14 weeks and has won two of his five starts at the course. The winner of the prelude is exempt from the ballot for the Jacaranda Cup (1100m) which will be held at Grafton on Wednesday 3 November.
Shelton plans to make that race Tara Jasmine's following start as he attempts to win the race for the second straight year after success with Bugalugs in 2020.
