Canberra trainer Gratz Vella hopes Levee Bank can measure up in better races after scoring a popular win in the feature at Murrumbidgee Turf Club on Friday.
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Levee Bank ($2.10) was met with a big round of applause as she took out the Elders Home Loans Summer Sprint (1200m).
More than 20 of the owners and their friends, from as far as Canada, made their presence heard as Levee Bank raced away with the feature.
The talented mare lived up to her short price but it took an ice cool ride from apprentice jockey Patrick Scorse, after Levee Bank was slow away, then held up for clear running early in the straight.
Scorse forced his way into clear running, then she put her rivals away to score by 2 ½ lengths from What A Hoot ($12.00) and Fast Cash ($31.00).
“She’s a nice mare. She can be a little bit slow out of the barriers and that could cost her a race but the young fella today used his common sense, didn’t panic because once you show her daylight, she lets down really well,” Vella said.
Vella will now target the Narooma Town Plate (1300m) on Monday week at Moruya, before having another crack at a metropolitan race.
“The owners want to go to Sydney and we were there last start but I told them the horse needs a couple of kills first,” he said.
“If all goes well and she pulls up well, in 10 or 11 days time she will go to the Town Plate at Moruya, and then go to Sydney.”
It was Levee Bank’s eighth career victory from 28 starts and took her career earnings past the $160,000 mark.
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