Promising mare Black N Tough earned a short spell after winning her first start in open company in the S & M Horse Transport Handicap at Spreyton on Sunday.
In doing so, she completed a winning treble for trainer Leon Wells who was also successful with Ben and Key Of The Nile.
It was a great start to the new racing year for Wells who enjoyed his best season in 2011-12, with his 38 wins elevating him to second on the Tasmanian trainers’ premiership.
Black N Tough, who was ridden by Jason Maskiell, has now won four of her six starts.
She is one of the few horses in modern times to have gone straight from winning a Class 2 race to winning in open company at her next start.
Owner Chris Wickham said after the race that Black N Tough would be in the paddock by Monday morning.
“She’s done a magnificent job – winning this race will put her rating up and we won’t have to push her so hard (next time in) to try to qualify for the better races,’’ Wickham said.
The owner has his sights on the Bow Mistress and Vamos Stakes over the summer carnival.
He also races last season’s Bow Mistress winner and Vamos placegetter Rebel Bride who is also being set for the same races this season.
Rebel Bride is also spelling after not appreciating the heavy tracks during a brief winter campaign.
Wells said that Ben and Key Of The Nile were essentially wet-trackers but had no trouble adapting to the firmer synthetic surface at Spreyton.
“For some reason, a lot of horses that need it wet when they race on grass go well on this track,” the trainer said.
“Ben is no star but he keeps paying his way.
“We bred him ourselves _ and we don’t breed many because it gets too dear and you’ve got to wait three years for them to get to the track.
“But when our good mare Leanamaree, who won four of five straight at one stage, hurt a joint we retired her to stud and this bloke was her first foal.”
Leanamaree has since produced another winner, Esca.
Key Of The Nile, the middle pin of a treble for jockey Stephen Maskiell, flashed home to win her sixth race in the Benchmark 62 Handicap.
“I don’t like ratings races _ because you get situations like this, where a horse that had won five races was up against horses that had won one _ but you have to take advantage of them when you can,” Wells said.
-Courtesy The Examiner