A success-driven dilemma was briskly put to bed for reinsman Mark Pitt after two-year-old filly Major Delight produced another stunning win for trainer Emma Stewart.
Having steered stablemate Tempting Tiger to an impressive victory in the first of the Alabar Breeders Crown semi-finals, Pitt threw down the gauntlet to Major Delight ahead of her hit-out in the second semi-final.
“It was super impressive,” he said of Tempting Tigress. “It’s going to be a hard choice between Major Delight and Tempting Tigress (in the final), it will just come down to draws and how they seem during the week.”
But he wouldn't have to wait that long, with Major Delight making the decision for him in the very next race.
The Peter Lewis owned and bred filly improved to eight wins from as many starts with an outstanding semi-final performance, in which she bustled to the top from a wide front row draw and then careered away to win in a 27-second last quarter.
It certainly left Pitt convinced that she was the horse to beat in next Saturday’s Group 1.
“This filly is something that we haven’t seen for a long time,” he said. “I think when she works it out completely she’s going to be the top of the tree.
“It would be a lot harder if she does draw the back row, but I still think she’ll be good enough to overcome whatever barrier she draws.”
As fate would have it, her case was only strengthened by the barrier draw that followed, with Major Delight plucking gate one, inside highly rated pair Soho Seraphine and Tempting Tigress.
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The draw will likely only cement Major Delight's favourtism, fuelled also by her dominant semi-final when she won by 7.5 metres from Aureus, who initially led for Jess Tubbs and Greg Sugars and made the favourite work to find the front.
Aureus hit the line well to finish ahead of Perfect In Pink, who battled manfully for Stewart and Kate Gath in the breeze to secure her final spot, while Spring Blue, Sahara Breeze and Somethin Bout Eily also advanced.
But all eyes were on the winner.
“She’s something special that filly, to do what she’s done to date,” Pitt said of Major Delight. “She always seems to do it so easily. She hasn’t fully worked out how to let down properly, but when she does she’s going to be next level.”
And that means he believes she’s primed for her best performance on the big Group 1 stage.
“A bit of noise will probably help her a little bit, but she’s a super filly and she does what she has too.”
Tempting Tigress does loom as the horse most likely to threaten her eight-race winning streak.
Also by Bettors Delight, she’s the first foal out of Reklaw’s Gem, who was a half-sister of the likes of Motu Crusader ($361,343) and Motu Meteor ($252,295).
The winning genetics certainly appear to have flowed through, with Tempting Tigress improving her unbeaten streak to four with a dominant dash to the line in the first semi-final.
Soho Seraphine led from gate one and Jewel Melody advanced to her outside, with Pitt happy to place the favourite three back in the running line. And there they all remained until the final 600 metres when Tempting Tigress emerged three wide.
By the 400-metre mark she had nosed ahead of the leaders, opening up in the last 200 metres to win by 2.2 metres from Martiart. The latter ran into second from leader’s back, relegating Soho Seraphine to third while Clives Girl, Ludacrous and Jewel Melody topped out the qualifying six.
“It was a super run,” Pitt said of Tempting Tigress. “She’s got it all that filly, she’s got gate speed, she’s got speed, she’s got strength."
Major Delight and Tempting Tigress were part of an extraordinary night for Stewart and Pitt, who combined for six winners. That meant Pitt joined Chris Alford as only the second driver to produce the feat at Tabcorp Park Melton.
Stewart added a further two wins with Kate Gath (Encipher and Tough Tilly) to amass eight for the meeting, incredibly the second time she's achieved that feat in Victoria. Stewart also holds the national record, having combined with Pitt for nine wins at Launceston in April.
More from Breeders Crown semi-finals night:
Ravishing eight Breeders Crown wins sets Stewart further apart
Breeders Crown trotters draws set up Group 1 showdowns
Storm brews as draw fuels fire for Breeders Crown rematch