SPEED machine For Me Dad tuned up for the upcoming Canberra carnival with an all-the-way victory in the Wagga Whirlwind on Thursday.
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For Me Dad ($8.00) proved too quick for a handy field in the feature sprint, as she sped home for a 1½ length victory in the $23,000 XXXX Gold Wagga Whirlwind (1000m).
For Me Dad sped straight to the lead for Canberra apprentice Carly Frater-Hill and from there never looked in trouble as she dashed home, holding off Miss Liffey ($4.20) and Man Of Peace ($7.00).
Man Of Peace stopped the clock in a time of 57.13 seconds, narrowly outside of the 56.75 seconds required to earn the $1500 bonus.
Canberra trainer Neil Osborne will head to Sunday week’s $60,000 Camarena Quality (1000m) on Black Opal Day with the four-year-old mare, who has now won five of her 18 starts.
“Back from Sydney Saturday class, we thought she would run well today,” Osborne’s son Stuart said.
“She’ll go to the Camarena now.”
Frater-Hill was very impressed by the performance and declared the mare was back at her best.
“She’s back to her old form,” Frater-Hill said.
“She attacked the start and attacked the line.
“I was very impressed, she did everything easy.”
The Osborne camp were also pleased with the effort of Frater-Hill, who boasts a winning strike rate of 20 per cent from her last 50 rides.
“Carly’s riding well for us,” Osborne said.
Meantime, it was a great result for Albury trainer Kym Davidson and connections in the other feature of the day at Murrumbidgee Turf Club.
Overdue ($6.00) booked a place in the field for the $180,000 Albury Gold Cup with a win in Thursday’s $23,000 Tom Patton Cup (1800m).
It was a great result for connections, who races Overdue’s mother, Overture, with Davison.
Overture was a top staying mare, who won first of her first 13 starts.
Overture broke down when running second on a Saturday at Caulfield, back in March 2008, just days before she was set to have a tilt at the Albury Gold Cup.
Overture never got there, but the connections have now got their Albury Gold Cup runner after the mare’s first foal, Overdue, won at Wagga on Thursday.
This year, in an agreement between Albury Racing Club and Murrumbidgee Turf Club, the winner of the Tom Patton Cup is exempt of the ballot for the Albury Gold Cup.
It was a good day for Albury trainers at Wagga.
Kevin Hanley enjoyed a win with the well-backed Arctic Grey ($4.40) in the Benchmark 52 Handicap (2000m), while Bennelong Dancer was an impressive maiden winner for Graham Hulm.
