The Jess Tubbs-trained Somethin Bout Eily broke her maiden status in style, taking out the inaugural Group 1 Nutrien Equine Auctions 2YO Pacing Fillies Final at Menangle on Saturday night.
Second-up from a spell, Somethin Bout Eily settled two back in the running line towards the rear of the field before Jack Trainor pulled out three wide around the home turn and subsequently eased four wide on straightening.
Somethin Bout Eily ($7) and fellow Victorian Ludacrous made their runs together down the long Menangle home stretch, with the former proving stronger over the concluding stages to score by a metre and a half in a mile rate of 1:58.2min.
Joel Watson purchased the filly at the Nutrien Yearling Sales for $60,000 before leasing her to a group of friends including Bob Closter, whose wife Eileen passed away three years ago.
“Eileen was a grandmother figure in my life, so when I bought the filly I asked Bob if I could name her after Eily,” Watson said.
Watson’s father Don was killed in a car racing accident at Bathurst in 1994.
“Dad was a privateer saloon car driver who had the accident during a practice round when I was 13 and Bob, who worked in the family transport business for 65 years, was like a father figure to me growing up,” he said.
“I never had the bank balance to race motor cars and through a connection with Shannon Nixon (our kids went to school together) I was lucky enough to get offered a share in Triple Eight and I ended up buying four yearlings last year.”
Watson, who has built his own grain and transport business, is now a harness racing devotee.
“The best thing now is the kids enjoy it and unlike motor racing, the whole family can get involved in harness racing up close,” he said.
Later in the night, the royally bred juvenile trotter The Locomotive completed a clean sweep of Nutrien Group 1 races for Victorian-trained horses when he outclassed his rivals in the Haras Des Trotteurs 2YO Mixed Sex Trot Final.
Sent out a $1.50 favorite, The Locomotive speared to the lead from his wide front row draw and was never headed thereafter, scoring untouched by 18 metres from Stevie Gee and Mypersonaljet.
The son of former champion mare La Coocaracha and Muscle Mass was purchased by Wayne Potter for $60,000.
“He was a cracking type at the sales, but was passed in and we secured him later on,” Potter said.
“I knew he was pretty smart when he ran his last half in 58 one day at Shepparton in trackwork.”
Potter wasn’t concerned after The Locomotive’s photo finish win in the Prelude.
“He was always going to improve leading into the Final and Nathan (Jack) didn’t even pull the plugs last night,” he said.
“He’s an intelligent horse, you can drive him with a sit and he usually just drops the bit.”
The first three placegetters were all bred by Australia’s leading trotting nursery Yabby Dam Farms.
Emma Stewart-trained First Responder won the night’s other Group 1, the Nutrien Equine Alabar Farms 2YO Pacing Colts and Geldings Final.
>> READ MORE: She’s done it! Emma claims historic 100th Group 1 win
