A photo finish proved a welcome work of art for Cowra trainer Andrew Molloy at the Kennards Hire Family Fun Day at Towac Park on Sunday.
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Molloy’s six-year-old gelding Welcome Art stormed home to claim a photo finish a nostril’s hair – 0.03 of a length – ahead of the Brett Thompson-trained Sea Lady at the Inland Digital Benchmark 66 Handicap.
The fourth race of the day, the Benchmark 66 had five horses finishing within half a length of each other, with the Scott Singleton-trained Base Camp 0.27 of a length behind Welcome Art, with Itasca and Loves A Hassle, 0.47 and 0.58 of a length back respectively.
The field tightened up at the 300 metre mark after Next Level, who finished in sixth just under two lengths in arrears, was caught by the chasing pack after starting strongly out of the blocks.
Both Sea Lady and Welcome Art were neck-and-neck during the final push to the line, and winning jockey Billy Owen said he was sure Matthew Cahill atop Sea Lady had clinched him at the finish, saying he didn’t think he had the win.
“I didn’t on the line, no, I was really confident at the 50 [metre mark] because he just kept sticking his nose out, but on the line I thought Matty got his head down,” Owen said.
“But full credit to my little horse and the stable, they’ve done a magnificent job.”
He said Welcome Art’s size had been a “worry” heading in.
He just got beat last week so fair’s fair.
- Welcome Art trainer Andrew Molloy
“He’s not an overly big horse, that was the thing that worried me off his last run but he was done up with four and a half kilos and they weren’t so steady first part of the race and this horse has got to be on the outside,” Owen said.
“He just took a bit of soaking up coming to the turn but once he got on the straight he just attacked the line and soon as we got in a fight with Matty’s horse [Sea Lady] that helped him, he just kept kicking.”
Trainer Molloy said it was a “great” win for the gelding.
“He just got beat last week so fair’s fair,” Molloy said of the photo finish, referencing Welcome Art’s second placing to Meraki Miss by half a length at its last run at Towac Park on December 17.
Molloy said it was pleasing to get the win with just the two week turnaround, saying he was concerned Welcome Art “might have done too much” in its last start.
“History says he does do too much second run but at home he’d been really pleasant,” he said.
Welcome Art has a “very simple” plan of attack for the next few weeks.
“He goes to the Cowra Cup in three weeks, that’s been his aim for six months so we’re on track,” Molloy said.
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Max Stainkamph
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
