It’s always hard to know how a horse will come back from a spell, but Darraweit Guim trainer-driver Lisa Miles could hardly have asked for much more from her talented mare Shes A Hovercraft at the weekend.
The daughter of Night Of The Stars, who hadn’t been seen since her down-the-track finish in the Group 1 Vicbred Super Series 3YO Fillies Final on December 31, signalled that she is in for a good preparation with an eye-catching second in Saturday night’s Nevele R Stud Pace (1720m) at Tabcorp Park Melton.
Shes A Hovercraft greeted the bell towards the rear of the field in the running line before Miles peeled off the back of Orbie and let fly down the home straight. For a brief moment, it looked as though the four-year-old might challenge crack Kiwi mare Spellbound, but in the end could only get to 2.3m of Nathan Purdon’s import on the line.
Nevertheless, it was a great return, with the sectional times backing it up. Shes A Hovercraft reeled off the fifth fastest last 800m of the entire meeting – bettered only by horses in the TAB Golden Reign Free For All – and clocked easily the slickest final 400m of the race.
There looks to be some winnable races in store for the horse, with Miles eyeing a second-up run at Cranbourne on May 16.
General Dodge (Mick Chircop) produced the fastest final quarter of the meeting, ripping home in 26.39sec, while the fourth place-getter in that race Max Delight (David Aiken) actually reeled off the best closing 800m sectional of 54.61sec.
There was also Melton racing on Tuesday night last week, where PJ Data was also collecting all the sectional information.
Maryanne Laffan-trained Keepcrackingjokes had the best last 400m of the meeting when fourth in the Menzclub 3YO Pace and John Justice’s Smoken Shazza the hottest final 800m of the night in winning the Dynamic Print Group Pace.
WATCH SHES A HOVERCRAFT’S EFFORT ON SATURDAY NIGHT:
FASTEST FIVE
MELTON TUESDAY, APRIL 27
LAST 400m
KEEPCRACKINGJOKES - 28.02sec - 4th MENZCLUB 3YO PACE 1720m
CHEDDAR VALLEY - 28.17sec - 1st EMPIRE STALLIONS PACE 2240m
GHANASUYA - 28.26sec - 5th ALL IN ONE PROPERTY PACE 1720m
BETTER STEAM AHEAD - 28.31sec - last MENZCLUB 3YO PACE 1720m
MACELLI - 28.39sec - 4th ALL IN ONE PROPERTY PACE 1720m
LAST 800m
SMOKEN SHAZZA - 56.52sec - 1st DYNAMIC PRINT GROUP PACE 2240m
MUSZTANG - 56.55sec - 2nd ALL IN ONE PROPERTY PACE 1720m
OHOKA MAXIMUS - 56.61sec - 6th ALL IN ONE PROPERTY PACE 1720m
MACELLI - 56.64sec - 4th ALL IN ONE PROPERTY PACE 1720m
MISS BLUE GLORY - 56.83sec - 1st ALL IN ONE PROPERTY PACE 1720m
CLICK HERE TO SEE SECTIONALS OF EVERY RUNNER
MELTON SATURDAY, MAY 1
LAST 400m
GENERAL DODGE - 26.39sec - 1st TAB GOLDEN REIGN FREE FOR ALL 2240m
MAX DELIGHT - 26.61sec - 4th TAB GOLDEN REIGN FREE FOR ALL 2240m
STAR GALLERIA - 26.65sec - 2nd TAB GOLDEN REIGN FREE FOR ALL 2240m
IDEALSOMEMAGIC - 26.66sec - 5th TAB GOLDEN REIGN FREE FOR ALL 2240m
MAJESTIC CRUISER - 26.79sec - 8th TAB GOLDEN REIGN FREE FOR ALL 2240m
LAST 800m
MAX DELIGHT - 54.61sec - 4th TAB GOLDEN REIGN FREE FOR ALL 2240m
STAR GALLERIA - 54.67sec - 2nd TAB GOLDEN REIGN FREE FOR ALL 2240m
GENERAL DODGE - 54.70sec - 1st TAB GOLDEN REIGN FREE FOR ALL 2240m
IDEALSOMEMAGIC - 54.72sec - 5th TAB GOLDEN REIGN FREE FOR ALL 2240m
SHES A HOVERCRAFT - 55.04sec - 2nd NEVELE R STUD PACE 1720m
CLICK HERE TO SEE SECTIONALS OF EVERY RUNNER
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