Miss Ole grinds home for Flemington win
Clinton McDonald is no stranger to winning at Flemington but having a two-year-old showing as much potential as Miss Ole is in June is a big plus for his stable with springtime ambitions.
Odds-on favourite Miss Ole followed up her win at Sandown two weeks ago with victory in the race honouring the late country racing stalwart Brendan Drechsler Handicap (1100m)
“She’s good and she’s a winner,” McDonald said.
“She probably should be three-for-three and she can go to the paddock, come back and improve again.”
“I know Lloyd Kennewell has got a good opinion of his horse that ran second (Espana), and it ran fantastic, so I think it will be a good form race.”
McDonald was pleased how his filly carried 2½-kilos more than the second placegetter and that the experience down the Flemington straight would benefit her.
Royal Ascot warm-up for Henry Dwyer
Fair to say that trainer Henry Dwyer has bigger aims this month than the Country Racing Victoria Sprint (1100m) but Salsa Fellow is certainly a stable improver on a path to the Creswick Sprint Series Final at Flemington on July 5.
The three-year-old gelding has now notched three wins in succession after victories at Kilmore and Sandown.
“I was happy enough through the first half of the race,” winning jockey Declan Bates said.
“I don’t think Henry mean’t for me to come that late but the field compacted in front of me at the wrong time.
“Fair play to the horse, he picked up and ran on. Most horses would have run a nice second.
“He let down that well to win and it shows that he has upside.”
With more to come from Salsa Fellow, Dwyer is in the final throes of preparing 2024 Royal Ascot winner Asfoora for a second shot at the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes on the first day of the Royal Meeting on June 17.
Taken at Flemington
It was hard not to be impressed by Taken’s victory in the Darren Galley Mile (1600m) as the three-year-old notched three wins in succession.
While showing potential, the last winner at Sandown in May is a work-in-progress.
While co-trainer Mick Price was enjoying the Mediterranean life in Ibiza, Michael Kent Jnr took in the scene at Flemington as the stable notched another winner.
“Twelve-out-of-ten ride. He (Mertens) really got the fractions right,” Kent Jnr said.
“I thought it was a slightly stronger race than what he faced two weeks prior when he won and he’s won by a bigger margin.
“He keeps improving that little bit and typical of the breed and the type of horse he is – a big-framed horse.”
Quote of the day: Harry told ‘em, sort of
Before Shockletz’s win in the Country Racing Its Got It All Trophy (2000m) Harry Coffey attempted to put the connections of his mount at ease before the race however it didn’t quite work out that way.
“I told them, ‘don’t panic, I’ll handle it, it’ll be an easy watch’, and I don’t think it was,” Coffey said.
“It took the whole straight and I think they would have been a bit nervous.”
The last delivers firsts
Marble Nine’s win in the final event of the day, the Country Race Day Sprint (1200m) notched a milestone for co-trainer Will Larkin and jockey Hannah Edgley who both scored their first wins at Flemington.
“It’s all a bit of a blur but definitely something I have been wanting to do for a while,” Edgley said.
“I’m beyond elated to have finally done it.”
