LONGFORD trainer John Blacker has no immediate plans to send promising three-year-old filly Into The Wind to the spelling paddock following a career best effort to win a maiden-class one handicap over 1600 metres at UBET Park Hobart yesterday.
Into The Wind was having her 10th start in what is her first full racing preparation but Blacker is confident there is room for at least one more start before she is spelled.
“The filly is really thriving on racing and while she is in this sort of form and continues to love doing what she is doing we might as well keep her in work,” Blacker said.
“The moment she shows any sign of not wanting to race I will tip her out immediately but the way the weather has been of late with minus three degree mornings up at Longford I’m sure she would prefer being in a warm stable environment,” he said.
Into The Wind was ridden by Brendon McCoull who opted to take the filly straight to the front and when he clicked her up about 500 metres from home she slipped into another gear and bounded clear.
The filly went on to score by almost 10 lengths from The Flyweight that came from last on the turn with Lacey Azz a close-up third.
Blacker ended the day with a double courtesy of his consistent entire Our Casanova scoring a convincing win in a benchmark 72 Handicap over 1400 metres.
Our Casanova was backing up from a last of six in Launceston last week but made light of the task.
Apprentice Hayley McCarthy had the four-year-old settled midfield with cover to the home turn and when she asked him for an effort he quickly collared the leaders and went on to score from Up Cups and O’Reilly’s Geegee.
“This horse is probably a couple of lengths off top grade but he has been a very consistent horse for us this time in and he is honest,” Blacker said.
“He probably races best when he’s up in grade but he can’t win so we race him in the lower grades where he gets more weight but he can win and that’s the case today,” he said.