FREE-LEGGED pacer Camelots Raider gave her connections the result they were hoping for when she defied a tough death-seat run to score a decisive win over 1609 metres at Tattersall’s Park in Hobart on Sunday night.
Camelots Raider’s owners had planned to send the mare to stud this season but after some advice from her regular driver Natalee Emery they opted to keep her racing and a first-up win was confirmation they have made the right decision.
Camelots Raider clocked a mile rate of 2.03 but she dashed home her last half (800m) in a slick 56.9 sec.
Last season she won her way through the classes winning six and notching four minor placings from 29 starts.
The Debbie Williams-trained seven-year-old had almost three months off and resumed with a luckless fifth in Launceston on October 25.
“We were all set to send her to stud this season but Nat (Emery) said she probably still had a few more wins in her and she was still thriving in the stable so we decided to keep her racing and I’m sure now it was the right decision,” Williams said.
“Her track work the week leading up to this race had been great and we were quite confident of her winning,” she said.
However driver Emery said pre-race plans were thrown out the window soon after the start.
Listen to what Natalee Emery had to say about Camelots Raider’s win – click here .