Emma Stewart’s stable looks primed for another outstanding season of two-year-old racing with a sweep of tonight’s Alabar Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic finals.
Less than a month before the Breeders Crown heats kick off on November 4, Stewart’s two-year-old colt Act Now registered a comfortable 1.8-metre win for reinswoman Jodi Quinlan and then the stable produced the first five home in the fillies’ final.
The latter was a particular muscle flex by the stable, with only three metres separating the first five and the winner, Ladies In Red, stopping the clock in a 1:51.9 mile rate.
That smashed the previous track record for two-year-old fillies, which stood at 1:53.5 and was set by Nostra Beach in 2017.
Reinsman David Moran spoke to Trots Vision’s Rob Auber post-race.
“It’s pretty scary really,” Moran said. “The breed nowadays, and that’s all credit to people like Bill and Anne (Anderson), they breed the best and only keep the best.”
Ladies In Red had to come from last, three-wide the last half a lap to mow down leaders Platinum Sparkle and breeze horse Tough Tilly and win.
“She deserves full credit there the way that the race was run, it was run pretty genuine,” Moran said. “The last half sectionals were through the roof. She’s gone tremendous.
“When we went, I did go as quick as I could. Our only hope was to be with them on the turn. Around the last turn the leader’s just slipped us a little bit, which was crazy to think that she still picked them up when they probably dropped her three-quarters of a length around the turn.”
Two races earlier the Stewart camp took the Group 2 colts and geldings silverware with Act Now, who led all the way to win.
Asked by Trots Vision host Rob Auber post-win “were you worried at any stage”, Quinlan responded, “no, not really”.
“He actually travelled pretty good tonight,” she said of Act Now, who improved his record to four wins from six starts for owner-breeders Bruce and Vicki Edward. “He pricks his ears, has a look around and I just tried to kick away a little bit around the bend.
“Biggest thing’s just getting him to concentrate, but I stopped driving getting to the line, he was holding the other one fairly comfortably.”
The “other one” was Sumomentsomewhere, who ran second for trainer Jess Tubbs and reinsman Greg Sugars, while Clayton Tonkin trained Major Moth finished strongly for reinsman Damian Wilson.
Quinlan said Act Now had shown every indication of being a key player in the forthcoming Breeders Crown and Vicbred Super Series in November and December respectively.
“I think he’s got to be. I haven’t driven him off the pace, but I’d imagine if he was sat up he would show that brilliance all the same.
“He’s got just that great gate speed, I think he even begins quicker out wider. He’s very slippery.”
