Eight-year-old mare Nova Baxter ($2.05 fav) once again produced her brilliant standing start manners to claim the Art Meeker Memorial Matron Stakes (2579m) in Hobart on Sunday afternoon.
Starting off a 20m handicap, the Rohan Hillier-trained and driven mare flew away to join the front markers within the first 50m to settle behind the leader.
The mare led the one-wide line from the 800m, before racing away from her rivals in the straight to record a 19.4m win over Sue Nein ($21) and Zara Tindall ($9) in a mile rate of 2:01.9s, 1.6s outside of Out Of Eden’s 2579m mares standing start record that she set in last year’s race.
“She got in well with the handicaps, given she is always a brilliant beginner,” said Hillier.
It was the fifth start back in the state for the daughter of Blissfull Hall, who had been doing the bulk of her racing at Melton after a second in the Carrick Cup last March.
“I don’t think the tempo suited her (at Melton), the stands suit her doing nothing early, and she has a good turn of foot at the end of her races.
“She will be off 10m in the New Norfolk Cup on Sunday (in Hobart). We will then look at races like the Meander Valley Cup, which she won last year, and the Carrick Cup, over the next month or so. But if she wins one of them, then it is probably job done, as I don’t think she is a Free For All mare down here,” said Hillier.
The Brighton Cup was declared a no race, after Magnetic Terror’s driver, Jordan Chibnall, was dislodged from her sulky near the 1800m when racing in a three-wide position.
Stewards called the race off near the 1400m, while medical personnel attended to Chibnall, who was subsequently transferred to the Royal Hobart Hospital.
Her partner, Conor Crook, said on Monday morning that she sustained a dislocated shoulder, concussion, and bone bruising, and that she was awaiting an X-ray on her feet.
Stewards decided not to re-run the race on the day.
The race prior to the fall, Chibnall partnered the Crook-trained Ozzie Corka to victory in the E. C. Plunkett Memorial (2090m).
