“And that’s another victory for the Emma Stewart stable..”.

For some that line become something of a broken record during Alabar Vicbred Super Series pacing week and that was quite literally the case among Friday night’s four-year-old mares’ heats.

Pistol Abbey lowered the age/class record at Ballarat’s Bray Raceway with her victory in the second heat, leading all-the-way and showing the sit-sprinter’s increasing versatility.

“Her form of late’s been really really good,” reinsman David Moran told TrotsVision. “She sort of gives you the feeling and impression that she has toughened up a fair bit now, so I think she can do a bit of work in the run.”

That was a big part of the lesson learned Friday night, when Pistol Abbey did a bit of work early to lead and then had highly-rated Major Occasion on her outside and stablemate Nostra Villa on her back.

“With (Major Occasion) outside us, she’s just had a long trip to New Zealand and back, so if we were ever going to hold the top tonight was probably the perfect opportunity,” Moran said.

“The last couple of starts she has given the impression, even though she has come from behind, that she has strengthened up a fair bit.

“These sort of horses like her, they are lightly framed and a little bit smaller than a genuine top class mare so it just comes with time. She’s got that now and I think she’s become pretty versatile.”

Pistol Abbey broke many a heart in the heat with a 27.3-second third quarter and then closed out in 27.6 seconds to win by 9.5m from Major Occasion, with Im Princess Gemma making great ground late to run into second.

It made it two from two for Stewart in the mares’ heats after Frankincense won the opener, having led from gate four and produced a largely painless 8.1-metre win for reinsman Rodney Petroff.

“She got it really easy, lead time was good, the first two quarters were good and when you run those last two sections it makes it hard for the ones trying to chase her down,” Petroff said.

“She went through the mares series not long ago and each run she seemed to get better and the further the distance the better she got. If she draws well in the semis and happens to make the final she won’t be too far away.”

Another improving all the time is Mick Stanley’s Soho Burning Love, the Auckland Reactor mare who was a terrific junior, finishing second in her three-year-old Vicbred Super Series final, and who has of late mixed it with the best of the mares.

Stanley steered her from last to first early in Friday’s heat and got home in 28.4 and 27.9 for a comfortable 11-metre lead from Western Debt. He told TrotsVision whatever she does this season she should only improve on.

 “She’s not a big mare, she probably hasn’t filled out in her body to her frame, she’s still a lean mare but that’s probably because she is highly strung. She is hard work around the stables and always gets herself fizzed up,” Stanley said.

“I’m sure at some stage after the sires, when she gets a chance to let down over the spring, that she will really make a nice mare.”

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