Elsaray looks to atone
Mare out to cap winning Sears’ week
RACING: Trainer Tony Sears is prepared to forgive consistent Toowoomba mare Elsaray a rare last-start failure as she looks to add to his winning week at Clifford Park tomorrow.
Elsaray is looking to follow up the debut win of Mail Escort for Sears at Ipswich on Wednesday when she tackles the M. & K. Constructions Group Benchmark 70 Handicap (1650m) with Nozi Tomizawa to ride.
Sears — who welcomed promising two-year-old Ardoyne Road back to his stable last week — was puzzled by Elsaray’s latest well-beaten effort at Clifford Park on Weetwood day.
“I was disappointed with her run the other day,” Sears said.
“Our other horse Red Prince won the race, but I’m not sure why Elsaray put in such a bad run.
“It’s unusual for her, but she was taken on up front and both horses folded at the finish so maybe she had some excuses.
“We’ll take the blinkers off her this week and if she finds her best she should be able to bounce back in a race like this.”
Sears also saddles stable mates Explosive Evie and Red Mako in the Living Turf Class 1 Handicap (1300m).
“I was happy enough with Red Mako’s first-up run,” Sears said.
“I wasn’t over keen on taking her to Beaudesert first up but she raced okay and I’m expecting her to be improved on Saturday.”
Sears has no plans mapped out for Ardoyne Road in her much-anticipated return to racing.
The Top Echelon filly was spelled, suffering from the effects of heat stress, following her eye-catching debut win at Doomben in December.
“She had three months off and has been back for five weeks,” Sears said.
“She spent her first four weeks back at Washpool Lodge working on the aqua-walker and treadmill and has been back with me for a week.
“We don’t have any set plans for her yet.
“Her owner is overseas at the moment and we’ll map something out a little later. “There’s no rush. “She’ll probably be ready to race around mid-June and a Sydney trip might even be an option for her.
“But she’s done well and looks enormous.
“She’s come back bigger and stronger and all going well there could be exciting times ahead for her.”
■ RACING returns to Burgess Park this afternoon when the Lockyer Race Club hosts a seven-race TAB program.
■ COUNTRY racing on the Downs this weekend features a five-race Chinchilla card.
First race jumps at 1.30.