One of last season's better Tasmanian three-year-olds El Jays Mystery resumed from a spell with a game win at the harness racing Carrick Park Paceway near Launceston today.
Despite galloping soon after the start the now four-year-old mare recovered to tack onto the bulk of the field while Lead Singer took control with Shadow Control making for a solid tempo pressuring outside of the leader.
Driver Ricky Duggan allowed El Jays Mystery ($2.70) to make her run 700 metres from home as she strolled around the field three and four-wide to finally claim the le5ad in the home straight.
But the Live Or Die mare had to pull out all stops to hold on and defeat the fast-finishing Heavennroll ($101) with the well-backed fixed odds favourite Lead Singer ($2.40) hanging on for third.
"The mare did a good job to win given she got out of her gear soon after the start but she managed to regroup and I thought she hit the line well," Duggan said.
"She's obviously done a bit of work but there's no doubt she will gain a lot of benefit from this run."
El Jays Mystery is trained at Karoola by Dick Eaves and she is owned and raced by him along with his wife Margaret, thoroughbred trainers John Blacker and Leon Laskey and their respective partners Penny Cawthen and Sharee Marshall, Gail and Lyndon Menegon, Michelle and Jeffrey Arnott, Barbara an Richard Imlach, Ross Goodsell, Terry Sinclair and Gail Wilkins.
Peter Staples