Her astute trainer Ciaron Maher elected to bypass the spring racing when she showed signs of a virus following a barrier trial last September and the patience shown by connections looks like it will be well rewarded.
Srikandi looked fabulous in the mounting yard and ran up to her impressive appearance, finishing too strongly for up and coming sprinter Ball of Muscle to win the 1200 metre weight-for-age sprint by a length.
Both the winner and runner-up are from the last Australian bred crop of foals
by Darley's world renowned sire Dubawi, who stood the 2009 season here in Australia
at a fee of $16,500 when this pair were conceived and now commands a fee of
125,000 pounds at Dalham Hall in the UK.Srikandi won three successive races at this carnival last year against fillies and mares before finishing third in the Group I BRC Stradbroke Handicap and as a bigger stronger mare looks poised to go even better this time around.
"After a long break you put a nice foundation on them and hope they're right and she's a lot heavier mare than what she was last year round," said Ciaron Maher.
"It's just great to kick off with a win she's a quality horse and hopefully she can keep going."
Maher indicated that Srikandi will be given the chance to improve on her third in last year's Stradbroke Handicap later in the carnival with her next assignment the Group I BTC Cup (1200m) at Doomben on May 9.
Bred and part-owned by former trainer John Collins, Srikandi has won seven races and placed twice from nine starts earning $544,600 for her large group of owners.
A half-sister to South African Group III winner Rain Gal and stakes-placed Arjuna, Srikandi is one of four winners from Raining, a metro winning half-sister by Hurricane Sky to the dam of stakes-winner Portofino Bay.
Raining is a grand-daughter of juvenile stakes-winner Jade Lace, the dam of Group I winner Pontormo and has Golden Slipper winners Luskin Star and Baguette in her pedigree so there is no shortage of speed!
Raining has a two year-old colt by Equiano (Fr) and is due to foal again to the Royal Ascot winning sprinter this year.
