Two of Tasmania’s up-and-coming young trainers had winners in Launceston on Sunday and both were against the odds.
Aiden Nunn won the Ted Cox Memorial with Ourmatealvin who was coming back sharply in distance on his previous start while Dylan Clark won the Think Pink Maiden with Shezastig who is such a slow conveyance on the training track that it looked unlikely she would ever pick up a race. Five-year-old Ourmatealvin had raced over 1880 metres only a week before backing up to score over 1400m.
“I was a bit worried about him coming back in distance but he was unlucky at his previous start he got too far back and ran the quickest last 600m of the race,” Nunn said. “I think 1600m will be right up his alley later on, but he’ll probably go for a spell now. ”
“We don’t want to bust him because this is only his second preparation”. Nunn is the nephew of Ourmatealvin’s owners Dale and Jan Bramich.
Daniel Ganderton gave the gelding a gun run just behind the leaders and he looked the winner a long way from home. Shezastig broke through at only her second race start.
“I rode her trackwork on Tuesday morning and she’d be the slowest horse I’ve ever ridden” Clark said. “So I told Anthony (Darmanin) that he’d have to ride her hard from the start and not stop riding her.”
Shezastig finished strongly to narrowly beat outsider Lord Farquaad and favourite Flying Stevie. Clark races the four-year-old on lease from breeder Rob Dixon.
“Barry Campbell had her at one stage and that’s the only reason I took her he told me she didn’t go too bad,” the trainer said.
Story from Greg Mansfield (Examiner)