TASMANIAN harness trainer Steve Lukac made a point of telling anyone who would listen just how lucky his New Zealand bred and part-owned colt Winewomenandsong was to win the Tasmanian Premier’s Breeders Plate over 2090 metres at Tattersall’s Park in Hobart on Sunday night.
Winewomenandsong was making his debut and with an inside second row draw punters were content to send him around as a $49 outsider and focus their attention on Quastor Centurion that was endeavoring to make it nine wins in succession.
The pole marker Semose Twenty led and that gave Winewomenandsong the trail while Quastor Centurion’s driver Erin Hollaway opted to ease the long odds-on favourite ($1.30) out to the rear.
But in the back straight the first time Smokin Mustard galloped near the rear of the field and Hollaway had to stop the favourite. With at least 30 metres to make up, Hollaway gradually tacked onto the field and then led the three-wide brigade in the final lap.
Semose Twenty kicked clear at the top of the straight with Quastor Centurion putting in the big strides out wide.
Just when it looked like the favourite would do the impossible and win, Nathan Ford urged Winewomenandsong past Semose Twenty and had enough momentum to score by 1-3/4 metres from Quastor Centurion with Semose Twenty the same margin away third.
Lukac was almost apologetic to the connections of Quastor Centurion about receiving the winner’s trophy but upon reflection agreed it (mishap in race) was a part of racing and that he had walked in the shoes of Quastor Centurion’s connections been on the other side of the coin in feature races.
Listen to what trainer Steve Lukac had to say about how Winewomenandsong arrived in his stable and his view on the Christian Cullen colt’s future.click here.