Struggling for form and confidence, Benaud’s career was at the crossroads just six months ago but some meticulous attention to detail and a little faith has the classy stayer back in the Group 1 arena.
Benaud lines up in Saturday’s The Metropolitan (2400m) at Randwick as one of the form horses having followed a Wyong Cup (2100m) victory two starts ago with a strong second to exciting import Just Fine in the Kingston Town Stakes (2000m).
It is a far cry from the autumn when he was struggling to figure in lesser grade, prompting trainer John O’Shea to go back to the drawing board with the 2022 ATC Australian Derby runner-up.
That process involved taking Benaud to Wyong for a class one race in July to remind him how to win, then continuing to build on his rediscovered confidence.
“We went through a process of going through all the little things that might have been bugging him,” O’Shea said.
“We ruled each of those things out along the way and once we did that, we knew we’d get him back.
“Plus building a bit of confidence too, giving him that confidence-boosting win, then going back there and winning the Wyong Cup and then (putting in) another really strong performance the other week.”
Just Fine has a stranglehold on Metropolitan markets, firming into $1.70 favouritism after drawing ideally in gate two at Tuesday’s barrier draw.
Benaud and lightly raced European import Mr Waterville are next best at $11 and if there is any chink in Just Fine’s armour, it is that he’s yet to win in three UK starts over the Metropolitan journey.
Benaud likewise hasn’t tasted victory beyond 2100m, but his Derby placing and a solid sixth in the Chairman’s Handicap (2600m) on a heavy track last autumn when he was out of form suggest it will be made to order.
O’Shea is in no doubt the five-year-old will relish the distance rise and says his effort in a strongly run Kingston Town Stakes has him at peak fitness.
“We were keen to give him a run at ten (furlongs, 2000m) the other day because I didn’t think he was ready for a mile-and-a-half,” O’Shea said.
“But he’s ready for a mile-and-a-half now, because that was a searching ten and a quality race.”