LOCAL trainer Charmaine Roberts has won this year's Lesley Ann Leonard Memorial Stakes after Pin High upset pre-race favourite Big Jamesy at Dawson Park yesterday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Pin High, starting the race at $2.50, missed the start in the $3005 event but kept in touch with the leaders and by the time the race rounded the bend for home was well inside Big Jamesy and too quick to chase down.
"He had a bit of work to do, he missed the kick again, I think he's better off when he's drawn out wide," Roberts said.
"We sort of wanted our other dog (Romeo Keeping) to draw the inside and him the outside but can't whinge about that, he's won the race and did everything right."
continued page 57
Big Jamesy started the best and had an early lead of two lengths over Nickel Queen and Pin High but as they reached the bend for home the Paul Braddon-trained leader went wide and it was open space in front of Pin High to win in the time of 22.91secs.
Big Jamesy finished second, one-and-three-quarter lengths behind, while Funky Red Monkey, called up as a reserve after the scratching of So Much Love, ran an impressive third for Paul Yeo.
"I thought he was in a bit of trouble but he's running pretty strong and he's probably looking for a little bit more ground now so we'll move him up now and see how we go from there," Roberts said, after the presentation.
The Lesley Ann Leonard Memorial is now in its 26th year and is one of the biggest on the Dawson Park calender, with the winner collecting $2500, and Roberts said it was always one of the most special races to win.
"It's good to win, I never knew Lesley Ann but I've known 'Les' (Lesley's brother, Lawrence) for years and years and it's always nice to win races for old 'Les', it's just a good race to win, we've won it a couple of other times," she said.
The prolific trainer said it is likely Pin High will now travel to Bathurst to race, after showing his class over 400m at Dubbo.
"We'll give him a couple of 450m races and see if that pans out," she said.
"We might even race him in the Soldiers Saddle there and that's over 500m, it would mean a step up in the class of dog but you've got to be in it to win it."
Earlier in the day Bella Cargo (23.15secs) won race one for trainer Ronald Steel, crossing the line a comfortable five lengths ahead of Hurricane Roc (23.46secs) and Mighty Spruce (23.47).
The Peter Carr-trained Aussie Casey was the dominant winner in the 318m race two, winning in the time of 18.44secs, a huge twelve-and-a-quarter lengths ahead of Heidi's Magic and Gypsy Cargo.
Paul Yeo tasted success in the third when his runner Phasa (19.06sec) just got home ahead of Ava Go Mate (19.17) and Sabatini Girl (19.28sec) while My Lullaby cruised to victory in the fourth, home four-and-a-quarter lengths ahead of Crini Bubb while Robert Ingram had another minor place with Sabatini Lass in third.
Ingram had success in the fifth when Sheara's Mate won over 400m in 23.42secs, ahead of Pushbutton Magic and Angela Keeping while Roberts' win in the day's main race was followed up with a victory for Geurie trainer Jeanette Foley in the seventh.
Foley's Lil Miss Sparkle, returning from injury and a seasonal break, was never in doubt, winning by four-and-a-quarter lengths over All Tommie and Exquisette Kari.