In Brief
- Rise in distance and blinkers lead to win for well-bred mare.
- Muchu delivers patient ride on Blackberry Rose.
- Track work gave Blacker confidence to back his mare.
A change of head gear and a rise in distance proved the right ingredients to see well-bred mare Blackberry Rose score a narrow win in a benchmark 66 handicap over 1650 metres yesterday.
The John Blacker-trained mare had two conditioning runs leading up to the event but despite the modest form punters powered into the original $26.00 offered when corporate bookmakers opened the betting and she ended up starting at $9.50, albeit with the late scratching of even money favourite Thineisthekingdom.
Blackberry Rose began only fairly and dropped back to the rear of the field soon after the start, while It’s A Battle and Savvy Rose shared the lead to well into the back straight.
Rider Bulent Muhcu waited until the 500-metre peg to encourage Blackberry Rose to improve and when they straightened for the run home, she entered the straight as the widest of the six starters.
Don Reggio ($16.00) and Blackberry Rose settled down to a two-horse war up the straight and when Mr Churchill ($3.20) chimed in, the three of them hit the line almost in unison.
Blacker heaved a sigh of relief when his mare’s number was posted on the semaphore board.
“We thought she would be hard to beat because she had been in two races that were simply too short for her and we applied the blinkers and that helped her concentration,” Blacker said.
“In the end it was close at the finish, but I was more than happy with how the mare attacked the line.
“Her trackwork rider got off early in the week after a track gallop and said she felt like a horse that was ready to win.”
Watch Blackberry Rose come from last to win over 1650m in Devonport on Sunday.