June 11 - Today at Canterbury Park Racecourse in Sydney, Australia, respected local jockey, Blake Shinn, and his talented filly, Savanna La Mar, are expected to give the field a good run for their money in the Freeway Hotel Bistro Handicap.

Both of Savanna La Mar's recent victories were on rain-soaked tracks, including her win on a heavy track in February at Gosford over 1100 meters, giving her trainer, Gerald Ryan, confidence for today's race, which will be on a track that has seen 45mm of rain in the past week.

Her talented jockey, Shin, will be making his welcome return to racing after coming off a month's suspension for testing positive for the prohibited drug, ephedrine. Even after a month off, however, Shin still leads Sydney jockeys' premiership by four wins over closest rival, Nash Rawiller.

In Savanna La Mar's Gosford race earlier this year, she gave the rest of the field a hiding after finishing a massive 4 and 3/4 lengths ahead of second place finisher, Cool Strategy, an excellent result backed up by her maiden victory at Wyong Racing Club a month before.

Said Ryan, 'We have no doubt that Savanna La Mar will handle the Canterbury track in her stride today, and that she'll run very well, particularly in the capable hands of Blake Shinn. Both of her wins have been over 1100 meters in wet conditions, so she's got plenty of things going for her.'

Shin will also ride the 2-year-old War On Everything in today's opening race, the Freeway Artarmon Hotel Handicap (1200m), for leading Australian trainer, Gary Portelli. 'We are confident that Blake will be as keen as mustard to get out there and ride a winner, despite some tough competition.,' said Portelli.