Class prevails at Burgess Park
A class edge shone through for Toowoomba mare Northern Revenge when she made a successful return to racing at Burgess Park on Saturday.
Northern Revenge ($4.60) capped a good training performance from Brett Baker with an all-way victory in the McCullough Robertson/Geneng Fillies and Mares Maiden Plate (1100m).
The Ad Valorem five-year-old provided apprentice Brooke Stower with her first victory on the riding comeback with a half-neck victory over Rotindy ($6.50), who took ground off the tiring winner over the final 100 metres.
Sheezingham ($15) was length away third.
Northern Revenge hadn’t raced since finishing a close-up fifth at Eagle Farm last November and made her winning return on a light preparation.
She had been win-less in 14 previous starts, but punters pinned their faith on some tidy early career efforts.
“She had another preparation but she pulled a muscle under her shoulder and we had to put her out again,” Baker explained.
“She’s had some handy form at her best with placings in town, Ipswich and Gold Coast.
“But she hadn’t trialled coming into today — just three good gallops — so she’s done well after so long out.
“She is normally better ridden a bit off the speed as well, but Gatton’s not the ideal track to get back on and Brooke did a good job from their wide gate.”
Stower resumed riding earlier this month after a four-month break from race riding.
Gatton trainer Brenton Andrew produced a popular result for local racegoers and a large group of owners when Maxwell ($2.80) broke through for an overdue win in the Grantham Premium Farm Workers Resort Colts, Entires and Gelding’s Maiden Plate (1100).
The stable pick-up arrived with a late finish for Justin Stanley to down $2.70 favourite Red Monkey by a 11⁄2 lengths at start number 13 and at his fifth run for Andrew.
Maxwell was a $9000 Bloodstockauction purchase for Andrew and is raced by a large group of owners based from Toowoomba and Gatton to Newcastle.
“I don’t look at Bloodstockauction that much but I had a bit of spare time one day and saw this bloke on there and finished up buying him,” Andrew said.
“We took him to Moree for his first start for us and he was a certainty beaten and then he went to the Sunshine Coast and nothing went right with him.
“He also bumped into a smart one of Tony Gollan’s at Ipswich so it’s great to see him get a win today, especially for some of his first-time owners.”
Andrew completed a winning double on the card when Roubaix ($9.50) lumped 61kg to a narrow victory over Quattro Fantastico ($5.50) for 3kg claimer Hannah Phillips in the Lockyer Valley Residential Village Colts, Geldings and Entires Benchmark 55 (1100m).