Trots Centre: Water baby No Worries since early escape

Since she danced with death in her first few strides No Win No Worries, Jaime Madruga’s two-year-old filly, has barely put a foot wrong and today begins what her trainer hopes will be fruitful racing career.

By Rocknroll Dance out of Onedins Courage, the filly kicks off today’s Victorian trots double-header by debuting in the first at Stawell, the Sertori & Co 2YO Maiden Pace, which streams at 12.43pm on Trots Vision.

That she’s made it this far is in itself a feat for trainer-owner Madruga, who purchased the foal off breeder Brian Rossiter and thought he had lost her before he had her.

“(Brian) had advertised the mare in foal for sale. She had the foal the day I bought her,” Madruga said. “She dropped the mare in the paddock at an agistment property. I got a call to say that she had miscarried and there was no foal.

“I said they had better have another look because the foal had to be somewhere, but thought the worse. The mare was in her paddock and it turned out the little foal had got through the fence. They looked in another paddock and there she was in a little puddle of water.

“I thought that’s it, because it was very a high likelihood after something like that she wouldn’t survive, but they got her some antibiotics and she is as good as gold.”

Fast forward a tick under three years and No Win No Worries will tackle her first race day along with stablemate Unethical, who debuts in the Sign Online 3YO Pace at 3.38pm.

No Win No Worries has trialled twice, running fourth at Ballarat on April 14 and sixth at Melton on April 20, with Madruga electing to take her straight to the races after a subsequent freshen up.

“She was a perfect lady at her trial,” he said. “She’s had two trials, had a little break and I thought instead of going to Melton to trial I may as well instead go to Stawell.”

And here we are, with the filly to start from gate one inside four other first starters and Stylish Joe, whose six starts have yielded two placings.

“I expect she’ll be competitive,” Madruga said. “She definitely needs the run, no doubt about that. I contemplated not racing her as a two-year-old, but decided to give her a go and whatever she does I’m confident she will be a lot better as a three-year-old.”

Speaking of three-year-olds, Unethical’s debut today for Madruga has been some time coming, with the home bred filly by Four Starzzz Shark out of Notfitforsale to step out for the first time today.

Well trialed the pacer’s most recent trial was a second placing, beaten one-metre by Shadowman at Bacchus Marsh, but Madruga’s keeping expectations modest, in large part to his fast starter’s back row draw.

“If she had have drawn one or two she would have come out faster than any horse and led no worries, but drawn 11 who knows where she will end up,” he said. “On some of the slightly slower tracks she will be competitive, but I don’t expect her to be a No Win No Feed.”

While he considers Unethical “a very nice horse to have around, an honest little filly”, it’s clear distance hasn’t hindered his affection for No Win No Feed, who he initially trained before sending north where she has flourished.

Part-owned by Madruga, Andrew Sinclair and Lee Flanagan, the four-year-old mare’s 36 starts have yielded $311,540 in stakes win, including three-year-old Breeders Crown and Breeders Challenge Group 1 titles.

Her four-year-old campaign has produced a further three wins from nine starts as she continues to flourish for New South Wales trainer Craig Cross, but may make a Victorian return for the Elizabeth Clarke Mares Triple Crown programmed for the end of August.

“She’s been a jewel,” Madruga said. “Luke McCarthy works out her program. She was bred in New South Wales, so it was better to leave her there and they know what they are doing.”

TALKING TROTS ON SENTRACK:

Hosts Jason Bonnington and Blake Redden have another big line-up for today's Talking Trots on SENTrack, which runs weekdays from 11am-1pm on 1377AM in Melbourne, 657AM in Perth and 1575AM in Wollongong.

Click here to listen live and for links to download the SEN app.