West Australian trainer Danny Morton and his diminutive four-year-old mare Dainty Tess will be looking to go two levels higher when she tackles the Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) on Saturday week.
Dainty Tess tackles the race in top form after her impressive win in last Saturday’s Group 3 R.N. Irwin Stakes at Morphettville.
Passed in at a Perth yearling sale because prospective owners thought she was too small, the daughter of War Chant built a formidable WA record (11 wins from 32 starts) before taking the Irwin at her first attempt across the Nullarbor.
Starting a $9.50 chance from barrier 10 under Jamie Kah, Dainty Tess came from worse than midfield to take out the time-honoured event from Lloyd Kennewell-trained  $2.45 favourite Viddora, with the Mick Price-prepared Secret Agenda ($5.50) third.
The win took Dainty Tess’s prizemoney bank to $928,400, a figure that will rise to more than $1.5 million if she can win Saturday week’s $1 million feature.
Sopressa impresses
Last Saturday’s other Group 3 also went to an interstate stable, but the Group 3 Schweppervescence (Auraria) Stakes headed east rather than west.
Master Victorian trainer Darren Weir completed a double on the day with Sopressa winning the 1800-metre fillies feature.
An unplaced favourite at the same track at her previous start, Sopressa was sent out at $5.50 under Harry Coffey, who had her well positioned throughout.
Weir had notched the first leg of his double when Whispering Brook, liked Sopressa trained from Weir’s Warrnambool satellite stable, took out the John C. Harris 70th Birthday Handicap (1200m) for fillies and mares. She started a $2.20 favourite under Dean Yendall.
Despatch atones
The third of Saturday’s black-type features, the listed Redelva Stakes for three-year-olds, saw the Tony McEvoy-trained Despatch bounce back to the winning list.
McEvoy, represented at Morphettville by son Kalvin, is a big fan of the Written Tycoon gelding, whose victory in Saturday’s 1100-metre event took his record to five starts for three wins and $260,060.
Unplaced as a $1.90 favourite at his previous run, Despatch was sent out a $5.50 chance under Beau Mertens last Saturday.
Despatch will next tackle the Group 2 UBET Euclase Stakes (1200m) on May 5.
Von again
Naracoorte horsewoman Sue Jaensch was all smiles after her charge Von Costa Glass won Saturday’s benchmark 75 Evright Handicap (1600m).
Steered by Emily Finnegan to his fifth victory from 11 starts, the $9 chance weaved a passage through the field from a near last position.  
Asked where the six-year-old would have his next start, Jaensch said: “I’m happy for him to just work his way through his classes.”
Bright starter
Apprentice Kayla Crowther continued on her winning way last weekend with wins in the first races on Saturday and Sunday.  
Her Morphetttville win came by way of an on-course pick-up ride due to the late arrival of fellow apprentice Chris Caserta. Crowther made the most of her good fortune as Phillip Stokes-trained two-year-old Dancer’s Kin opened his winning account in the UBET Handicap (1050m).
Crowther was again in the winner’s circle at Port Augusta on Sunday after the Chris Bieg-trained Unflynnching took out the 1396-metre maiden.
Cup day in the Coonawarra
The spotlight will be on Penola on Sunday when the Millicent Racing Club stages its once-a-year Millicent Cup meeting.