In Brief
- Mare wins at start 13.
- Trainer says the wait was worthwhile.
- Jockey praises mares courage.
It took 13 starts but the wait was worth it for trainer Chester Roach when his underrated mare A Tad More ($27) broke her maiden status over 1600 metres in Launceston on Saturday night.
A Tad More showed great promise when she first started racing but for several reasons, she was unable to realise her potential.
But with Victorian fly-in jockey Stan Tsaikos aboard, the Needs Further four-year-old finally delivered what she promised over a year ago.
A Tad More was caught three-wide with cover but when the pace slackened and his charge started to pull, Tsaikos set the mare alight and she raced around the field 800 metres out to take the lead.
It proved to be a winning move as she showed her rivals a clean pair of heels in the home straight to go on and score by almost two lengths from the favourite Vamos Raffa ($3.80) ahead of his stablemate Olympic Honour ($10.00).
“I can’t believe it’s taken her this long to win a race, but the wait’s been worth it,” Roach said.
“It can be very frustrating having a horse that you know has a lot of ability but for whatever reason things don’t work.
“Now that’s she’s finally won her maiden she might go on with it and win a few more.”
Tsaikos is confident the mare has a future.
“She gave me a great feel and when they came at her in the straight, she kept finding and that’s a sign of a horse with a strong will to win,” Tsaikos said.
Watch A Tad More win race four in Launceston on Saturday night.