Wendy Peel made her first start in this season’s Racing NSW Rising Stars Series count, riding Unresolved to victory in Tuesday’s heat at Dubbo Turf Club.
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Peel won with the Garry Lunn-trained Unresolved for the second time in less than three weeks on Tuesday, the win in the Iron Jack Benchmark 58 Handicap – Heat of the Rising Star (1600m) following on from the victory at Derby Day earlier this month.
Unresolved was able to hold off the chasing pack on Tuesday largely because he was carrying five kilograms less than he did on Derby Day.
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Unresolved ($7.50) won from The Frick ($5 equal favourite) and Living Choice ($5 equal favourite).
“He’s a tough horse and without much weight on his back I thought he’d be competitive,” Peel said after the win.
“I thought Living Choice might be the danger that could get me late but he’s just honest and stays a long.
“Garry and the team have done a great job with him to keep him ticking over and I couldn’t be happier.”
Peel, back in the saddle at Dubbo after a two-week suspension stemming from a careless riding charge at Moree, went from barrier four with Unresolved in what was an incredibly open event.
The five-year-old gelding got out well and settled down second behind Bolly ($9), trained by Cameron Crockett.
The Frick, also trained by Crockett, settled third while Kody’s Nestor Living Choice sat back deep in the field.
The order barely changed as they rounded the bend for home and there Bolly began to fade as Peel and Unresolved took control.
The threats came late as The Frick, ridden by Billy Owen, and the Mikayla Weir-ridden Living Choice wound up but Unresolved hung on to win by a head while Living Choice got third in a photo from The Debater ($5 equal favourite).
“I reckon he’ll be an 1800-2000m type of horse,” Peel said of Unresolved before speaking about the Rising Star series.
“It’s the first one of ridden in this year so it’s nice to get that first win out of the way.”
The win was the first in a race-to-race double for Peel as she backed up to win the XXXX Gold Class 1 Handicap (1100m) with Rodney Robb’s Thermosa.
The gelding won on debut at Coonabarabran last month and showed he’ll be one to keep an eye on when saluting by half a length on Tuesday.
“He’s still green and he’s still teaching me a lot and I’m still learning while riding him,” she told Sky Thoroughbred Central after the win.
In an entertaining finish Thermosa ($4.40 favourite) got home by half a length from Fourth Protocol ($26) and Kashtan ($9).