Lightly raced mare Bella Waters came a long way in a short time last preparation and has impressed ahead of her return at Tauranga on Saturday.

The progressive daughter of the late Sacred Falls will resume in Saturday’s Financial Services Handicap (1300m) after missing her planned kick-off date on Labour Day.

“We did have her in at Te Rapa so we had to change, it is 1300m and I would have preferred 1400m, but I think she will still give a good account of herself,” said Moira Murdoch, who trains in partnership with daughter Kieran.

They prepare Bella Waters for breeders Cambridge Stud and ticked off a significant box during her rapid rise through the ranks last season.

She was a Rating 65 winner at New Plymouth before a runner-up finish at Ellerslie and then produced a peak performance at her ninth start to claim top honours in the Listed Rotorua Cup (2200m).

The half-sister to the Gr.2 Autumn Stakes (1800m) winner Immediacy was then sent for a deserved spell and pleased during her time off.

“She has done very well, we gave her a nice long break and she trialled up really encouragingly the other day at Avondale over 1000 metres,” Murdoch said.

“She is obviously adept over ground and it would be quite nice to say that she has a little more zing this preparation.

“She might show a bit in a 1600m race somewhere, but at the moment we are just going race by race. She is a lovely horse, a very giving and enthusiastic mare.”

Bella Waters was ridden in her lead-up trial by Warren Kennedy and the champion jockey will again take the reins on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Murdoch is scouring programs to find a suitable race for well-performed stablemate Shamus, whose place in the handicap is making him tricky to place to best advantage.

“I’m just weighing up the options at the moment and if someone would put on a weight-for-age over 1400m that would be wonderful, that’s his pet trip,” she said.

Shamus was a handicap winner over that distance two runs back at Ellerslie before the son of Shamexpress returned there to finish midfield when saddled with 60kg over 1600m.

Murdoch is also pleased with the progress being made by stable newcomer Avalene.

“She had some leg problems, so she came out here to the beach and isn’t far off trialling. She’s a talented mare and is doing well,” she said.

The Joan Egan-bred and owned Vadamos six-year-old won four times from the stable of Roger James and Robert Wellwood and hasn’t raced since she was fifth in the Christmas Cup (2100m) at Otaki last December.