Winner at Werribee

Race day finally came on March 9 at Werribee (how appropriate for The Smell!) and obviously we weren't the only ones who had an opinion of our athletic filly. The bookmakers had seen the devastating trial win and heard the stable whispers that she was the real deal and as such opened her up at even money without any real fluctuation throughout betting.

About a dozen owners and friends were present, very conspicuous in their suits and bright red Three Lanes Racing caps. We certainly brightened up Werribee for the day! Our expectations were running very high given FF's trial form and the fact there were only 6 runners and while Peter wasn't saying too much, he certainly had an air of confidence about him. His instructions to his top jockey, Luke Nolen, were succinct; "Don't F%#@ it up"! We took our seats in the stand and eagerly awaited the jump. FF was relaxed and certainly looked the goods.

She jumped well from barrier 3, but was caught 3 wide until the turn at the 400 mtr mark. Coming to the turn, Luke pushed her to the lead and the middle runner dropped away; however the David Hayes' horse, Manna Miss, who had had the easy rail run all the way then eased in front. At this point she was a good half length behind the leader, but once she straightened up, Luke kicked her up a gear and she sped home, passing the leader right in front of us and recording a very gutsy and stylish win by a short head. We were officially King's for the day $7,150 in prize money richer, plus bets and everyone celebrated in the Owners Bar whilst watching several replays on the available TV. Winning is a wonderful feeling!!

In Peter's post race debrief he said that FF had done a tremendous job getting this far and winning her first race in only her first training campaign. He described her as "city class", meaning she has the ability to win a mid-week city races carrying much better prize money and he hopes that she can improve further after her spell.