Maria does the job for holidaying dad

AFTER almost six weeks of early mornings, hard work at the Innisfail track and a doping scare — Maria Potiris deserved some reward for effort.

Maria is the daughter of Innisfail trainer Stephen Potiris and with the old man away in Greece on holidays, she was handed the reins of the stable and all the responsibilities that go along with having a strong team of horses.

While Maria admits it has been “hectic” at the stables without the boss around, it was all worth it on Saturday afternoon at Gordonvale as Try Me Dol claimed the 2018 Bill Dawson Memorial Gordonvale Cup in emphatic fashion.

With country Cup queen Bonnie Thomson on board, the Potiris mare blew away the quality field to score by over two lengths in the $15,000 feature.

Stephen watched the five non-TAB races from Gordonvale through his phone and was a happy man in Europe, but his daughter cheekily took all the applause for the mare’s first win since June last year.

“I have to take all the credit with this one, sorry Dad,” Maria said with a laugh. “It has been hectic the last five and a half weeks — he has been away but we are getting there.

“All the hard work pays off. My mum, sister and uncle have been there helping me, too. “It is a great feeling.” Try Me Dol was one of the six horses scratched from the Atherton Cup meeting last month amid a doping scare.

“The horses were withdrawn from the Atherton races as a precaution after a threat that one of the horses in the stable had been doped,” Queensland Racing Integrity Commission boss Ross Barnett said last month.

Barnett also said Rhys James Miller, 32, appeared in the Innisfail Magistrates Court soon after and was remanded to appear on October 8 charged with trespass and fraud charges.

The Townsville-based Thomson has had a fantastic last month, securing three country cups, with potentially one more to come at Innisfail.

“I have had a good couple of weeks, I cleaned up at Ewan also, with three winners as well as the Cup,” Thomson said.

“Now, this one too. Bring on the cups. “Innisfail is up next.”

Ironically, Thomson was aboard Jimmy Hoffa in the Mareeba Cup, with Stephen Massingham stable hoop Manabu Kai suspended, a horse Try Me Dol was too smart for on Saturday with the equal favourite running fourth.

The seven-year-old mare is nearing the end of her racing career after just over 50 starts.

“This is her last prep, she has the Innisfail Cup to go and that will be her last run,” Maria said.

“She is a lovely mare, she has won plenty of races for us.”

Defending Gordonvale Cup winner Vaunting was a late scratching and did not defend the title, coming out just before the first event of the day.