In Brief
- Blacker trains quinella in the feature.
- Devonport Cup the next aim for Triple Strip.
- Laskey has double a stones throw from home.
Longford trainer John Blacker enjoyed a day to remember to start 2020, saddling up prolific winner Triple Strip to take out the Cressy Chaff Cutters Longford Cup.
The winner of six races from 13 starts entering the race, the four-year-old mare was sent out a $7.50 chance by bookmakers and swooped down the outside of the tight Longford track, mirroring several winners from earlier in the program.
The mare responded from an unplaced run in the Sheffield Cup in Devonport leading into the race, a performance which Blacker put down to a rare off day for the mare.
“Her work has been really good and when you get a mare like her, when they put a bad run in you don’t really know until the next start,” said Blacker.
“I thought she’d go good and they went hard up front and she had to make up a lot of ground.
“She’s proven she can gallop, she’s won seven out of 13 or 14, so she’s a good mare, but I think she will run further.”
Despite the average run in Devonport the prior start, the Cup next Wednesday remains firmly on the agenda.
“She’s on a Devonport Cup campaign and today was to tell us the story,” explained the trainer.
To cap off the race for Blacker, his eight-year-old gelding Magnasa ($7.00) ran into second ahead of La Dernier Fille ($6.00) who had to cart the field into the race after favourite Sir Simon ($3.00) was softened up on speed by Kanji ($31.00), and those were the next two across the line.
The ability to walk his horses to the racecourse also paid dividends for local trainer Leon Laskey who came away from the seven-race card with a long-priced double.
It was the first training double for Laskey, who only has a small team of horses, and also works full-time outside the industry.
Wide Spread Panic narrowly edges out Silver Road in race four at Longford.
“I just do it as a hobby for us. We have our own horses, I don’t train for anyone else,” explained an excited Laskey.
Wide Spread Panic ($15.00) was the first leg of the double for Laskey and was available at a much bigger price when bookmakers posted their markets, but Laskey entered the meeting with confidence despite ordinary figure form.
“Wide Spread Panic has taken time to get things right with her. She came down from Gai Waterhouse as a tried horse and there’s just been little niggling things, but we got them all right today,” said Laskey.
Shewearsthepants ($12.00) bookended the quaddie for Laskey and was another mainland pick-up, previously trained by Darren Weir.
“We ended up getting her very cheap and now she’s won two and run another couple of fourths,” Laskey said.
The once a year meeting at Longford holds a special place in the heart of many, including Laskey who was delighted to walk away with a pair of winners.
“We train here every day and to win a race at Longford is just bloody unbelievable.”