Fortune favours the brave as they say.
And that’s how best to describe the success Kiwi trainer Brad Mowbray is having in Sydney with his exciting mare Delishka.
Beating the All Stars’ barn at home in NZ is hard enough and so many Kiwis now don’t even bother travelling to Aussie to try take on the best here plus the All Stars’ raiders.
Mowbray took-up the challenge and with stunning results so far.
Next stop is the big dance, the Group 1 Ladyship Mile at Menangle on February 24.
Delishka opened her Aussie campaign with a sound but luckless seventh in the Ladyship Cup in Melbourne, but hasn’t looked back since.
She backed-up a week later to win in a 1min52.8sec mile at Menangle, then went to another level courtesy of a superb Blake Fitzpatrick drive to win the Sibelia Stakes in a 1min51.1sec mile last Saturday night.
Delishka beat reigning Ladyship Mile winner, the All Stars’ A Piccadilly Princess, in the process.
A Piccadilly Princess was given the run of the race in the one-by-one trail by Luke McCarthy, but couldn’t match Delishka’s “ping” once Fitzpatrick got her clear of the leader’s back.
It was a hotly run race with Partyon leading and copping plenty of pressure from Shane Tritton’s tough grey mare My Rona Gold, who fought on well for fourth.
Partyon wilted under the pressure and finished last.
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LAZARUS didn’t even need to race at Menangle last Saturday night for us to be reminded how good he is.
Just a week after Tiger Tara was crushed into submission by Lazarus in the Hunter Cup, he did the same to a solid but weaker field in the free-for-all at Menangle.
It was a win which ranked up with Tiger Tara’s best.
He drew the outside over a mile, worked forward to sit parked and kept the pressure on throughout in a blistering 1min50.2sec mile.
Classy sit-sprinter Mach Doro trailed the leader, got an inside run to draw level with Tiger Tara, but Kevin Pizzuto’s warhorse was simply too strong.
His splits for the mile were 26.9, 28.0, 27.6 and 27.7sec.
Next stop is another possible clash with Lazarus in one of the two Miracle Mile qualifying sprints at Menangle next Saturday night.
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SHANE Tritton is planning to have four runners in the two Miracle Mile qualifying sprints at Menangle next Saturday night.
Former top class Kiwi pacer Franco Nelson, who went like a jet winning at Menangle last Saturday week, looks his top seed.
“We’re also going to run Yayas Hot Spot, My Alpha Rock and Anything For Love,” he said.
Anything For Love made it five wins from his past six starts when he led and sparkled in a 1min50.4sec mile at Menangle last Saturday night.
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IT was like the good old days for Kerryn Manning at Melton last Friday night.
There was a time, when driving was basically her sole focus, when Manning would regularly dominate race meetings.
She did just that, winning four of the eight races at Melton, including the fast-class race with her outstanding former Kiwi mare Our Golden Goddess.
Our Golden Goddess has now won all six starts for Manning this campaign and heads to Sydney nominal favourite for the Group 1 Ladyship Mile on Saturday week.
Last Friday she led from the pole and scored in a very slick 1min54.8sec mile rate for 2240m.
Manning’s four driving wins came for four different trainers.
While he trains Our Golden Goddess, it would have been especially pleasing to win a feature juvenile race, the Premiere Stakes, aboard Scheu Creek for her father, Peter.
Scheu Creek, who led throughout and won easily in a 1min56.8sec mile rate for 1720m, provided an early and important win for his sire, former Hunter Cup and Chariots of Fire winner Caribbean Blaster.
Manning’s other wins came aboard Lance Justice’s Love Ina Chevy, best known as the pacer who cheated death for many days after a snake bite, and Graham Lee’s trotter Illcryifhewinds.
Just for good measure, Manning’s win all at to the growing “Teal Pants” promotion booty. She, Kate Gath and Jodi Quinlan are the Victorian representatives for the cause.
Manning’s success rolled-on to Echuca last Saturday night when she won the Group 3 Echuca Cup with classy former Kiwi pacer Motu Meteor.
The gelding wouldn’t have been out of place in the Chariots of Fire on the same night, but didn’t qualify.
So Manning took him to Echuca instead where he led from gate two and won comfortably in a 1min59.9sec mile rate for 2560m.
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KYLE Harper keeps marvelling at his classy old pacer Bettors Fire.
The nine-year-old is still good enough to upstage WA’s best with the right draw, so he was a moral when he drew one and led a moderate free-for-all field at Gloucester Park last Friday night.
Harper led the gelding slide along in a 1min54.7sec and burned down the back in 27.2sec before holding-off a late surge from Our Jimmy Johnstone to win well.
It was back on December 29 when he led and upset Soho Tribeca and Chicago Bull in the Village Kid Sprint.
Bettors Fire’s now raced 90 times for 34 wins, 20 placings and earned close to $700,000.
The other Gloucester Park feature, the $50,000 Group 2 Daintys Daughter Classic (2130m), went to father-son team Gary Hall Sr and Gary Jr in an upset with Art Major filly Slick Artist.
She overcame a back row draw to comfortably beat WA’s best fillies in a key indicator race for the upcoming WA Oaks.
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MUCH-TRAVELLED veteran Our Jericho snared another feature win in his new home state last Saturday night.
Now trained in South Australia by Les Harding, the eight-year-old narrowly but impressively won the Gawler Cup.
Our Jericho started his career in NZ, had long stints in Victoria and WA before returning briefly to Victoria and now to SA.
He’s now raced 73 times for 16 wins, 14 placings and earned over $220,000.
Adam Hamilton