FORMER smart two-year-old filly Anelene made a brilliant return winning form in a Benchmark 78 Handicap over 1100 metres at The TOTE Racing Centre in Launceston last night.
With state’s leading rider Brendon McCoull aboard Anelene showed good early speed to lead and despite being pressured for the last 700 metres she found enough in the closing stages to score from dead-heaters Blue Light and Ladali.
Anelene is prepared at Longford by George Blacker and had not been sighted at the races for over a year.
“This mare had a few things go wrong from when she was a three-year-old,” Blacker said.
“She cast a shoe in a race and suffered a hoof injury and then she got a virus so we’ve had to deal with those things.”
“She did show ability and now that the issues are behind her we can go forward,” he said.
McCoull was delighted with the way the mare toughed it out over the concluding stages.
“This mare showed a lot of ability as a young horse but a few issues prevented her from going ion as a three-year-old,” McCoull said.
“But I was more than pleased with the way she handled it tonight and if she continues to improve she will definitely win more races,” he said.