Tim Martin’s class mare Heavens Above will head towards an Epsom Handicap run via the Golden Pendant after winning the Sheraco Stakes 2016 second-up at Rosehill on Golden Rose Day.

2016 Sheraco Stakes winner Heavens Above will race in the Golden Pendant next on way to a Group 1 run over the mile. Photo: Steve Hart.

An ultra-consistent daughter of Street Cry, the five-year-old relished getting the room at the Gardens two runs into her Sydney Spring Racing Carnival campaign in Saturday’s $125,000 Group 3 Sheraco Stakes (1200m).

One of 14 mares lining-up in the sprint, Heavens Above jumped from a gun barrier three draw with Tye Angland taking over from Hugh Bowman aboard the improving five-year-old.

Bowman rode her first-up for a close second to Pearls when beaten only 1.6 lengths three weeks ago at Randwick in the Group 3 Toy Show Quality (1300m).

Dropping back in the weights for the Sheraco Stakes from the near-inside draw, Heavens Above was back to her best returning to the kind of form that saw her run second to Azkadellia in the Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) in Sydney during the autumn.

Magnajoy from the inside barrier led the Sheraco Stakes field around this season from Serene Majesty, with Nancy in third.

Ravi moved up quickly to settle up on the pace, the well-fancied Peter & Paul Snowden-trained favourite first-up shooting for a fourth straight win.

The Toy Show Quality winner Pearls was doing all the work outside in fourth, while Heavens Above looked to be travelling okay back further on the fence.

Once on the straight the challenges came for the front-runners with Heavens Above ($7.50) working around the outside to get up and run down the market mover Ravi ($4.20) in a great finish, giving Martin a Saturday city double after his success with Moral Victory the race before.

“She’s not the biggest mare, but she has a really big heart,” Angland said of the Sheraco Stakes winner after the victory.

“The 1200’s not her trip so it shows who well she does run and how hard she tries.

“She’s a little fighter and she likes plenty of room.”

Finishing off a tight Sheraco Stakes trifecta in third at the big odds was the returning Gerald Ryan-trained Star Witness four-year-old Magic Alibi ($31) who just held off the fast-finishing Denmagic ($11) who came with an enormous run late to make up all the ground from the back.

Angland rated Heavens Above as a chance to head south to Melbourne for a shot at the $500,000 Group 1 Myer Classic (1600m) at Flemington Racecourse on VRC Derby Day, October 29, during the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

“I think the Myer’s her main race,” he said.

“She ran second in a mile race in a Group 1 in Sydney last prep and it’ll be good to try and get the win when we go down to Melbourne.”

Without confirming the Myer bid, winning trainer Martin said Heavens Above would race next-up back at Rosehill Gardens on September 24 in the $400,000 Group 2 Golden Pendant (1400m) as a lead-up to Royal Randwick’s $1 million Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) on October 1.

“She’s been a darling, very honest,” he said.

“In two weeks we’ll go to the Golden Pendant and then back-up in the Epsom Handicap.”

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2016 Sheraco Stakes Results & Finishing Order

Rosehill Race 8 – 10/09/2016