In Brief
- Victorian mare and talented NSW rider combine for impressive Group 3 win at Elwick.
- Deroche a good thing beaten in Bow Mistress.
- Zargos the only feature winner trained outside of Tasmania on the day.
Well-bred mare Zargos ($12.00) enhanced her value as a broodmare when she powered her way to an impressive win in the $150,000 Group 3 Bow Mistress over 1200m in Hobart on Sunday.
With talented Sydney-based rider Blaike McDougall aboard, the David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig-trained four-year-old burst through a narrow gap in the home straight to go on and score a convincing win from the luckless Deroche ($2.90 fav) and Twitchy Frank ($3.50).
None of the trainers were at the meeting but stable representative Gary Fennessy said the Bow Mistress had been on the drawing board for some time as one of the mares main targets this season.
“We always believed this mare would be suited to this race and we wanted to keep her fresh because that’s when she races best,” Fennessy said.
“We were very pleased with her last start at Flemington and that convinced us to bring her to Tasmania for this race and it was a very good ride from Blaike (McDougall).
“We are unsure whether we will take her to Launceston in a fortnight for the other Group 3 mares race (Vamos Stakes) over 1400m.”
While Zargos (Shamardal-Sister Rocks) was impressive, there is no doubt the three-year-old Tasmanian filly Deroche should have won had she been able to secure clear racing room in the home straight.
Rider Craig Newitt had Deroche (Needs Further-Buzzing Along) perfectly placed one-off and three pairs back with the eventual winner tracking his mount throughout.
When Newitt wanted to make his run he looked to his right and eased out but Twitchy Frank (John Allen) kept him in the pocket for 100 metres and while that battle ensued, McDougall drove Zargos through the gap on the inside and that move won the race.
Twitchy Frank hit the line well, so she will head to the Vamos to try and make it back-to-back wins in the Group 3 feature in a fortnight and Deroche also will get her chance to make up for the one that got away.
Watch Zargos win the Bow Mistress in Hobart on Sunday.