The Emma Stewart trained Miki To Success appreciated the drop in class when he outstayed his rivals in the Garrards Horse & Hound Pace at Melton.
Jackie Barker was quick to work around the field early from a wide draw on Miki To Success to sit parked outside the leader Smoken Ace while Mach Dan lobbed into the one out one back trail.
Miki To Success ($1.75 fav) ranged up alongside the leader on straightening and the son of Always B Miki found sufficient to stave off a late challenge from Mach Dan to score by half a neck in a mile rate of 1:51.9.
At his previous start Miki Success finished fourth behind Swayzee, Leap To Fame and Republic Party in the Hunter Cup.
Barker said Miki To Success was able to find his customary spot outside the leader without an issue.
“He never gets off the gate that great but he doesn’t mind working forward and that’s what we were able to do and it worked out really well,” Barker said.
Barker admitted she had to keep the winner’s mind on the job down the back straight.
“He labors a little bit around the turns sometimes so I had the plugs off early down the back and I was whistling him up trying to keep his mind on the job so when he hit the corner he wasn’t losing ground,” she said.
“Credit to the horse he always comes down the straight strong.”
Miki To Success has proven a fine money spinner for his connections and boasts a career record of 17 wins from his 36 starts incorporating both the Vicbred Super Series 3YO and 4YO Finals.
Six-year-old mare Isthisjustfantasy was another who relished a drop in grade after she took out the Benstud Standardbred Pace.
Isthisjustfantasy ($3.70) was given the run of the race by Glen Craven in the one one sit before making a three wide charge towards the leaders with 400 metres to travel and the daughter of Betting Line held on to score by a neck from the $2.90 favorite Ata Rangi.
Two starts ago Isthisjustfantasy chased home outstanding mare Captains Mistress in a brutally run Queen Of The Pacific.
Craven said the race panned out well after initially being caught parked.
“The way Ata Rangi had been racing I thought it would come around and it worked out well,” Craven said.
“Generally, she is working home really strong and just misses out but I hooked her out a little bit earlier than I anticipated from the one one, it nearly went against us tonight but she dug in up the straight when Ata Rangi came back at her,” he said.
The Graham brothers have unearthed another open class trotter after Quirky Character chalked up his fifth win from his past six starts in the Aldebaran Park Trot.
With James Herbertson in the sulky, Quirky Character ($3.50) peeled out of the one out one back trail with 400 metres to travel and the lightly raced five-year-old scored untouched from the $2 favorite Kyvalley Maven.
Trained by Ross Graham and raced by his brother Leigh, Quirky Character didn’t commence racing until early last year as a four-year-old.
“We had a bit on at the time and he was in the paddock and didn’t get broken in until he was a late three-year-old,” Graham said.
Graham said Quirky Character’s size belies his turn of foot.
“He’s a very big horse but James keeps saying that for a big horse he has very good speed point to point,” he said.
“We haven’t any big plans for him but he should get to free for all class.’
