TASMANIAN Hall of Fame trainer Gary White will target upcoming feature two-year-old races for his talented filly Smart catch following her impressive victory in an open 2YO handicap over 1120 metres in Launceston on Wednesday night.
Smart Catch led but was pestered for most of the journey by eventual runner-up Gee Gees Snowhill but when jockey Stephen Maskiell asked for something extra 200 metres from home the daughter of Elusive Quality forged clear and hit the line a comfortable winner by almost three lengths with Kaiteri the same margin away third.
The filly, owned by David and Louise Adams, almost didn’t start as she was stubborn behind the barriers and it took several minutes for her to be loaded into the gates.
But White says there is a reason why she plays up at the races these days.
Smart Catch began her career with a win in Hobart in early December and she was due to return to racing at the same venue on January 22 in the Steve Bryant memorial 2YO handicap.
But a mishap prior to the start of that race has left the filly with a legacy that the trainer has been trying to rectify.
White explained: “Some foolish behavior by some people near the mounting yard prior to her race (January 22) led to her taking fright and flipping over in the mounting enclosure.”
“She got loose and ran along the walkway where she slipped and grazed herself badly and spiked her rump quite severely and that experience has scarred her in more ways than one,” he said.
White is hoping the filly eventually regains her confidence and will not be so anxious on race days.
Smart Catch will be aimed at the two $30,000 feature 2YO races over 1100m and 1200m in Hobart next month and depending on how she performs in those she may progress to the $50,000 Sires Produces Stakes over 1400 metres in Launceston on May 12 (Saturday).