Spotlight The Valley’s win at Ascot Park yesterday was special for her trainer and part owner Robert Wilson of Balfour.
“She’s just been going through the motions lately and I always knew there was another win there. It was her ninth win which is pretty awesome really,” Wilson said.
The Skyvalley mare got the perfect trip behind pacemaker Davey Mac and came up the inside passing lane to beat that horse by a length and a quarter.
She was 10/10 in the betting paying $36 to win despite running third at her last start.
Spotlight The Valley started her career with Billy Head but Wilson took over her training shortly after.
She’s won nine races, run second 17 times and third 14 times, earning The Sunbeam Syndicate which owns her $89,322.
“She’s just so honest. A lovely horse. The syndicate have had three pay outs over a long time so she’s been a great syndicate horse. The group are spread around – Timaru to Roxburgh.”
Wilson says a trip to the breeding barn is now on the cards for Spotlight The Valley.
“We’ve been talking about it so that’s half pie the plan, so we’ll probably get her in foal. There’ll always be a home at my place for her.”
Spotlight The Valley was bred by Kevin Schuck who also owned an unqualified filly out of the mare by Muscle Mass and a two year old Sundon colt which is at Nathan Williamson’s.
The mare has also left qualified Angus Hall gelding Danangus Fella which is trained at Kurow by Petra Luzumova.
Wilson and his wife Eleanor owned Soky’s Atom gelding Atomwise in the late 1990s. He won five of his eight starts in New Zealand for Southland trainer Alan Devery and won another nine races from fifteen starts in Australia.
Bruce Stewart