Trainer Michael Young and driver Emily Suvaljko planned to set the pace with Trixie Dora and make life tough for the opposition in the 2130m Garrard’s Horse And Hound @ Gloucester Park Pace at headquarters on Friday night.
But the filly, the $4.40 second fancy, failed to take advantage of the coveted No. 1 barrier and Suvaljko had to be content having her trailing the freewheeling pacemaker Im Category Five ($7.50), with the $3.20 favourite In Rare Air working in the breeze and threatening to keep Trixie Dora in a watertight pocket.
However, things worked out just fine for Trixie Dora, who was able to get off the pegs with 200m to travel and sprint home strongly to take the lead 50m from the post and go on and win by just over a length from Im Category Five, with In Rare Air a half-head away in third place.
“Trixie Dora was pushing the mobile going up to the start, but then she was beaten for early speed,” said Suvaljko. “I was a bit worried, but then I was able to keep my horse’s legs underneath Slay Queen which helped me to get to the leader’s back.”
Young said that Trixie Dora’s hit and miss form out of the gate was more of an attitude thing than ability. “She is pretty fast out at times and is slow away at times,” he said. “It probably wasn’t the worst thing that she got crossed tonight because they ran along a bit and she had a lovely run.
“She is not eligible for the sales races, but we will be looking at the Westbred race for fillies at the end of the year as well as the Diamond Classic and the WA Oaks.”
Trixie Dora, who has earned $41,804 from three wins and three placings from 13 starts, is by American sire Always B Miki and is the third foal out of the unraced mare Kendall Nicole, whose unraced dam At Melrose Place produced five winners, including Speedwagon (38 starts for four wins, 18 placings and $50,209), Forty Two Grand (151 starts for 16 wins, 31 placings and $122,875), Fletcher Christian (51 starts for ten wins, ten placings and $58,746) and Grinjaro (69 starts for 17 wins, 19 placings and $248,982).
Friday night’s win was the first leg of a treble for Young and Suvaljko, who combined later in the program to win with Lincoln Lou and Lovbite.
Lincoln Lou, a $6.20 chance from the outside barrier (No. 9) in the 2130m Garrard’s Horse And Hound @ Melton Place Pace, was most impressive in finishing brilliantly from eighth approaching the 400m mark to dashing to the front 100m from the post and scoring by more than two lengths from $4.40 chance Spitfire, who was restrained to last from barrier eight and then surged forward, three wide, to take the lead with 1100m to travel.
The final three quarters were run in 28.8sec., 28.4sec. and 28.1sec. and Lincoln Lou, a New Zealand-bred four-year-old, rated a smart 1.55.4.
“The lead time was a bit slow (38.2sec.) but when I saw Jocelyn (Young) go around with Spitfire I knew that there was going to be a bit of tempo,” said Suvaljko. “And the way Lincoln Lou sprinted past Troubadour (the $1.75 favourite) was unbelievable. Lincoln Lou is a very fast horse.”
