KEMBLA Grange trainer Joseph Ible believes the best is still to come from Loving Cilla after she justified favouritism with a strong win in Wednesday's Navigate Advisors Australia Day Cup (2000m) at Wagga.
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The five-year-old mare's two victories in ten previous career starts had come over 1300m and 1400m, the latter also at Wagga in May.
But after she was put to sleep in the back of the field for most of the race, jockey Kayla Nisbet took the $2.70 elect to the outside of the field, and her turn of foot did the rest.
"For the first time over 2000, it was good to see her relax and Kayla rode her really well and got her out where she needs to be," Ible said.
"She doesn't like running inside horses and she let down well, but I still think there's a bit more there to come, she's still learning about it all.
"She's bred to run 2000-2400, a first go over that distance for a win opens up a whole new world of opportunities."
Ible said they never felt in any rush to test her out as a stayer. Nisbet herself admitted to Ible after the race that she had doubts the mare could retain her turn of foot well up in distance, but those fears were emphatically put to bed.
"She showed so much over thr short distances, and that's why we didn't rush her up to this distance," Ible said.
"The fact she could still handle it over that distance, there might be some handy races for her in the provincials."
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