[PHOTO: Western Racepix]
Safeguard mare Kiralui made a nice return to racing at Belmont on Wednesday when taking out the Natasha Rawluk Handicap (1200m) on the final day of the 2023/24 season.
The rising five-year-old got under the guard of punters as a $14 chance despite trialing up well when finishing a nose second at Lark Hill on July 15 and was given a lovely ride by comeback jockey Shaun O’Donnell in her first-up assignment.
O’Donnell settled the chestnut three-back on the rail before making an inside run on straightening with the advantage of the cutaway and she finished brilliantly to hit the lead passing the 200m mark and win by just over a half-length.
Kings Sicario ($5.50) finished second, with Trespassing ($17) a further nose away in third place.
The lightly-raced Kiralui has been an honest type with two wins, a third and seven top-five finishes from her nine career starts to date, accumulating earnings of $52,173 including Westspeed Platinum bonuses.
Wednesday’s victory took Pearce Racing to 82 winners for the 2023/24 season, including a stable record of 35 metropolitan wins.
The stable will saddle up Dirty Chai and Jive King at Pinjarra Scarpside on the first day of the 2024/25 season on Thursday before Saturday’s Belmont meeting where Triple Jay, Under Influence, Galaxy Affair, Super Romani, Ultimate Style and Westriver Miracle are engaged.