Mighty Mo motors to first-up win
IT didn’t take Hong Kong rider Dylan Mo long to make his mark on Tasmanian racing with his first ride on the Devonport synthetic a winner aboard rank outsider Wineglass Bay in the opening event on Sunday.
Mo got to work on the former Victorian galloper in the home straight and he hit the line ahead of the fastfinishing Geegees Lillybet with the odds-on favourite Settler’s Stone ($1.35) a disappointing third.
Wineglass Bay was placed in the race to give Fulton an idea of whether or not she should persevere with the gelded son of Stratum. “He arrived in my stable with just one half-decent run to his name and it was over 2100m at Stoney Creek so I thought we’d test him at the trip (2360m) and he’s done a great job,” Fulton said.
Mo was ecstatic at riding a winner at his first ride in the state.
“I rode in the trials on this track last Tuesday and I thought it was an excellent track and today this horse gave me a good ride and he won quite convincingly,” Mo said.
The talented young rider was back in the winner’s circle a few races later when he guided the Angela Brakeytrained Century Arrow to a convincing all-the-way win in a benchmark 82 handicap over 1350 metres.
“Century Arrow is a very strong horse that was not easy to hold but once he got into a rhythm he settled well and he was never going to be beaten.”
Mo has been one of the shining lights in Hong Kong’s apprentice ranks for the past two years and he is a welcome addition to Tasmania’s riding ranks the next month.
“I hope to make the most of my time here in Tasmania because it is a very beautiful place.” TASMANIA’S riding ranks will fall away dramatically next Saturday with so many riders unavailable for the meeting that has been switched from the regular Sunday timeslot.
Included in the missing jockey list will be Siggy Carr and Troy Baker who are embarking on a semi-working holiday to Albury to visit Baker’s parents’ property and while there they will campaign five of the horses from Carr’s stable. Also missing will be regular fly-in Anthony Darmanin, apprentice Chris Graham who rides Mystical Pursuit at Moonee Valley and apprentice Alex Patis who has left the state after winning this season’s apprentices’ premiership. Ryan Bishop and Racha Cuneen will also miss the meeting.
The first race on Saturday will start at 10.27am with the first four races to be broadcast on Sky 1 and the balance of the eight-race program will be shown on Sky 2 with the last set to start at 2.40pm.