There were some eye-catching heat performances but two-year-old champion Maajida looks certain to take some topping in the Alabar Farms Vicbred Super Series for three-year-old fillies.
One of three Emma Stewart trained winners in the class along with Techys Angel and Amelia Rose, Maajida capped the night’s racing with a comfortable win in an eventful last heat and is well placed to carry that on according to reinsman Greg Sugars.
“She’s improving as she gets older,” Sugars said. “She’s turning into a real professional, lovely little race horse.”
But it wasn’t a one stable show with both Shes A Hovercraft and Changeover Girl showing high speed and continual improvement to win their heats and advance to the December 22 semi-finals at Tabcorp Park Melton full of confidence.
Here’s how it unfolded:
HEAT ONE:
The fillies kicked off in uncomplicated fashion with Techys Angel, a recent Breeders Crown semi-final winner, sauntering to the lead in the opening heat and cruising to a comfortable victory for Emma Stewart and Kate Gath.
The latter had a tight grip on the race, following a moderate lead time (43.4 seconds) with a gentle 62.9-second first half, which enabled her to rip home in a 27.2-second final quarter.
It became a pegs dominated affair, with Final Peace (leader’s back) and Midnight Whisper (three back the fence) filling out the minor placings, while Eastbro Adele and Helgart filled out the top five to keep their semi-finals hopes alive.
There wasn’t a lot for Gath to unravel post-race, telling Trots Vision that Techys Angel “got it really cheap early, which is how you like it, and just got the job done”.
Techys Angel is owned and bred by Mario and Austin Cirillo, who pared their dam Venus Williams with sire Alto Christiano.
HEAT TWO:
The early moments mattered most in a super competitive second heat, with Kate Gath and Amelia Rose attacking Breeders Crown winner The Pantheist from the gate to grab the all-important early lead.
It would prove a decisive move, with Gath then able to dictate terms in a modest 62.4-second first half, while well-fancied but green Sweet Louise advanced to her outside.
The leader then ripped home in 27 seconds and nothing was going to make much ground in that circumstance, enabling Amelia Rose to return to the winners’ list for trainer Emma Stewart while The Pantheist boxed on for second.
Trainer John Yeomans would have been happy after his pair, Its Beaujolais and Its Ebonynivory, sat quiet throughout and ran on well to advance to the semi-finals, while talented Sweet Louise kept her series alive with a fifth placing.
But the biggest smile would have been reserved for breeder Benstud, who pared Art Major with Bennies Daughter to produce Amelia Rose, and owners Danny and Jo Zavitsanos and Warren Viney.
“She’s quite good and once she led and got such a cheap lead time and first quarter it was going to be pretty hard to beat her and that’s how it turned out,” Gath said. “(Leading) was probably going to be the difference to being able to win and probably not being able to win.”
HEAT THREE:
Reminiscent of Imnopumpkin earlier in the night in the colts and geldings’ class, trainer-driver Lisa Miles was able to sit quiet on Shes A Hovercraft from her gate eight draw and when the opportunity presented late she swooped.
The Night Of The Stars filly, out of De La Rosa, has now won five of her 17 starts, with all victories coming this season, and she showed that she’s ever-improving with a thrilling dash late.
“She’s been a little surprise packet and got an absolutely awesome little sprint on her, which was evident tonight,” Miles told Trots Vision. “We had to go at right angles to get her out, but once she saw daylight and let down she has got that wicked little sprint on her, which is very handy in cases like this.”
Miles was three-back the pegs throughout with co-favourites Diamond Party and Itz Longtall Sally sitting leader and breeze from the gate and controlling proceedings. Alice Kay swept around to the breeze mid-race and positioned herself to qualify for the semi-finals along with The Ultimate, but it was Shes A Hovercraft who swept by them all to score.
The winner was bred by Alexander Braun, Vince Sanzaro, Mark Gurry and Darren McDonald, and is owned by Ricky, Michelle and David Pike.
HEAT FOUR:
Changeover Girl protected her unbeaten record with a Vicbred Super Series heat win that may have even come as something of a surprise for her connections.
Co-trained by Stephen O’Donoghue and Rebecca Bartley and driven by the latter, the Changeover filly out of Shortys Treasure is only eight days on from her winning race track debut but is quickly carving out a reputation for herself.
“She went really good,” Bartley said. “We thought she might have been a little bit out of her depth in this grade but we put her in to have a go and she went really good and I can’t believe it.”
The gate one draw in her heat tonight gifted her the chance to have a quiet race. Dancing With Flo crossed from gate two and Changeover Girl was able to take her back, with dangerous Shesskylah three back on the pegs.
And it would be a peg line affair, with that trio separating from the field in a 28.6-second third quarter, with Changeover Girl emerging in the 27.4-second last quarter to win by two metres from Shesskylah, with Dancing With Flo a close third. Miss Pau and She Will Wantano topped out the first five to keep their semi-final hopes alive.
HEAT FIVE:
The last heat of the night was willing and $1.40 favourite Maajida had to do plenty in the run but her class came to the fore as she won comfortably for reinsman Greg Sugars and trainer Emma Stewart.
Now a winner of 15 of her 21 starts, Sugars and Maajida sat in wait from their back row draw as Rockingwithsierra and Belladonna Girl battled early, no doubt each hoping to be able to lead and then trail Maajida to the final straight.
Rockingwithsierra won the initial dual and when Starsbythebeach advanced mid-race three-wide Maajida trailed her and took the lead, though not without some work.
But with a 62.5-second middle half the star had plenty left in the tank for the trip home, hitting the line in a 27.8-second last quarter to comfortably win by five metres from Rockingwithsierra.
Belladonna Girl, Art Of Sheng Li and Starsbythebeach filled the top five to book qualification through to the semi-finals.
“It was an interesting race,” Sugars said. “There was a bit going on early, a few run the gate hard and (there were) mid-race moves. I followed the movement forward, but we had to put our foot down to make our way to the front.
“The middle sections were in our favour, we were pretty comfortable and just a dash up the straight. Slightly unconventional style of racing.”
The Somebeachsomewhere filly out of Arterial Way is owned and bred by Gary, Ian, Leslie and Steve Johnson.
RELIVE THE WINNING MOMENTS AND HEAR FROM THE WINNING DRIVERS:
READ MORE FROM THE VICBRED SUPER SERIES:
>> All in the balance as heat is on in 3YO boys
>> Leading mares take night one in Stride
>> Winning an artform as series favourites impress
