The 6yr-old is one of the first two runners leading trainer Stephen Marsh will line up at a Waikouaiti meeting when she ventures south from his South Island base at Riccarton.
Belle Fascino will be having her first start since running second in the group 3 Canterbury Breeders Stakes and backing that up with a second in premier company on the last day of New Zealand Cup week.
“She had a couple of weeks out after cup week and she has come back in really good order,” Marsh’s South Island stable manager, Rhys Mildon, said.
"We are going to kick her off down there before she runs in the Timaru Stakes at Riccarton in a couple of weeks.
"There was not a lot around for her, in regards to 1200m races, and we thought Waikouaiti wasn’t too far away and it would be a good place to kick her off."
Belle Fascino drops significantly in class when she starts in rating 82 company over 1200m in race 5 today.
Although she will not be at her absolute peak for the event, Mildon expects her to run well.
"She will improve a lot with the run, but on those last couple of runs you would think she would be right in it.
"The rise in weight is a concern, but she only has to carry 57kg with the claim, which is not that much in that class."
Apprentice Rohan Mudhoo’s claim will take 2kg off Belle Fascino’s top weight today.
Marsh’s first starter at a Waikouaiti meeting will be Effervescent in race 2.
The 5yr-old has had few better opportunities to win than against the even line-up contesting the 0-1 win race over 1975m.
Mildon expects the gelding, who will be ridden by Jason Laking, to be aided by the long Waikouaiti straight.
"He has been a little bit disappointing. Jason rode him a beauty last start, but he really didn’t come up underneath him when he popped him off the rail.
"He is the sort of horse that needs a tough, aggressive ride and he needs to be attacking them a long way out and then keep punching away."
Canterbury mare Zentessa will have her mind on racing in the Waikouaiti Cup after putting the breeding season behind, recently.
The Shane Kennedy and Anna Furlong-trained mare has been able to produce solid spring and summer form while dealing with the distractions of trying to get in foal.
Zentessa produced an excellent third in the Spring Classic before her solid sixth in the Metropolitan Trophy between visits to the breeding barn.
"She was served a couple of times and mucked around with during the spring, so it was a bit of a mixed bag, really," Kennedy said.
"So, her run at cup week was really good, but it was pretty hard to maintain it with everything that was going on.”"
"She has certainly got the ability, it’s just a matter of getting everything right."
The 5yr-old unwound strongly to win her last start over 1800m at Riccarton, earlier this month.
Doni Prastiyou will ride Zentessa in today’s 1975m open handicap (race 7).
