Class mare Life on the Wire toys with rivals

PREMIER Tasmanian trainer Scott Brunton produced another great training feat to deliver his classy mare Life on the Wire in good enough shape to score an emphatic win in the $150,000 Group 3 Bow Mistress at her first start since September last year.

The mare had been plagued by niggling injuries that kept interrupting her preparation, but the wily mentor’s patience and vigilance paid dividends for the mare’s plethora of small percentage owners.

Life on the Wire ($6 into $3.60) was urged from the gates by rider Jason Maskiell to lead and despite being wide throughout, the daughter of Pluck defied the opposition to run her down and on the line she still had more than a length to spare over deadheaters Speedonova ($15) and Twitchy Frank ($6.50) with Gee Gee Lanett ($21) fourth.

Brunton was elated with his mare’s performance but he was not surprised with the result.

“We’ve had some things to iron out leading up to the race, but she started to show she was back with her work closer to the race so we persevered and today she’s delivered like I knew she always could,” Brunton said.

“The Vamos Stakes over 1400m has always been her main mission because that is her best distance so to win this race going into the Vamos is a real bonus.”

The Vamos also is a Group 3 worth $150,000 and given the way she toyed with her rivals yesterday the mare will go into the Launceston race at the end of the month on Launceston Cup day as the likely favourite.

The effort of equal runnerup Speedonova was outstanding as she started from the outside gate but tracked into it nicely from the halfway mark and became baulked by the favourite Miss Norway, which started to tire at the top of the home straight.

But once Speedonova’s rider Craig Newitt was able to get her into clear racing room she motored home to suggest the Bill Ryan-trained mare will give Life on the Wire a run for her money in the Vamos.