Sheer Bliss for Cole as mare rolls rivals at Bay
PERPETUAL Bliss was too strong for the $18,500 bet365 Handicap (1300m) field at Fannie Bay yesterday, and in a bonus for trainer Philip Cole, stablemate Moore Alpha finished second.
The seven-year-old mare won by two-and-a-half lengths with Wayne Davis on board.
“It’s the first time she’s raced since they rolled the track,” Cole told the Sunday Territorian. “She’s only ever raced over the (Darwin Cup) carnival since I’ve had her, and I think with the track being rolled, it did really play into her favour. She jumped and was a lot closer.
“The stable was pretty confident of her winning , but having two runners in the race, (stable jockey) Jarrod (Todd) had to make a choice and he stuck with riding Moore Alpha.”
Cole said he would continue to space out Perpetual Bliss’ runs over the coming months.
“The plan is just to keep her in her own grade and distance. I haven’t pencilled in too much for now,” he said.
“The weather is starting to get hot … but she’ll still be racing a month between runs.”
Meanwhile, in the race two feature $19,500 QBE Handicap (1000m), the Chris Pollard-trained Jolly Boy, ridden by Raymond Vigar, won by a length-and-a-half to Garry Lefoe Jr’s Brunswick Street and She Ra (Cole).
“It was a good run with the weight (55kg) on his back,” Pollard said.
Tregorik (trainer Leah Walling-Denton, jockey Brendon Davis), Meazza (Gary Clarke, Davis) and Paghman (Clarke, Kim Gladwin) were other winners at the Bay yesterday.