Punters don’t miss first start
RACING: If you got some of the double figure odds, feel free to shout Stephen Kirkwood a drink.
Punters were on the money in the opening event of the card at Clifford Park, with as much as $12 available for Misslleers, which went on to start as $2.60 second favourite in the Get Out Stakes Maiden Plate (870m).
Kirkwood, who trains the filly on course, said the decision from hoop Emma Ljung to get to the lead proved the decisive one to get the heavilybacked three-year-old over the line.
“I don’t bet, but a lot of people must’ve (liked her),” he said.
“They can drop me around a carton (laughs).
“When she drew the nice alley I was very happy for her to get to the lead.
“She’s got plenty of gate speed so we sort of knew that she’d get to the front.
“It was just a matter of Emma letting the brakes off enough to keep Hatchy’s horse busy.
“I was very happy with it. It was a perfectly timed ride.”
Despite the strong push in betting for the winner, Lindsay Hatch’s Motomiss ($2.40) still started favourite.
Misslleers jumped moderately from gate four, however was able to find the front under riding from Ljung.
Les Tilley pushed for the lead after jumping well from barrier 11, but was unable to cross and was forced to sit one off the fence for the trip.
The pair battled it out approaching the bend and well into the straight, with Motomiss grabbing a slender lead at the 250m mark.
Misslleers was able to lift when required however, fighting back to regain the lead with 150m to go and scoring by a neat length, with Perfect Saga ($21) a further three and a half lengths back in third.
“In the straight when she asked her to click up she picked up nicely,” Kirkwood said.
“At the end of the day she could’ve got under her a lot more but she just did enough (to win).
“We’re happy to get the win on the board. We’ll go home and see how she pulls up and take it from there.
“I expected her to race well,
sean.teuma@thechronicle.com.au
but as a first starter you never know, anything can happen.
“But on her work and her jumpout form, she showed enough that she was ready to go.”
The trend of on-pace runners fighting out the finish continued in the Maiden Plate (1200m), as well supported favourite Bestie ($1.90) scored for Tony and Maddysen Sears.
Jumping from the carpark in barrier 14, apprentice Adin Thompson didn’t let a moderate start deter him from taking a forward spot, opting to take the gelding to the fence and sit in front.
Chris Waller’s Endless River opted to take the sit behind the frontrunner, popping off the fence at the 600m and setting sail for the lead.
Bestie was able to produce when put under pressure however, shrugging off the challenge when the pair became level at the 400m mark, before pulling away in the closing stages to score by two and three quarter lengths.
Kohiko ($21) ran on strongly from a long way back to finish a touch over four lengths from the winner in third.