She's a horse who's frustrated connections at times but on Monday at Dubbo Turf Club, Squared showed just what she's capable of.
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Ridden by Eleanor Webster-Hawes, the Connie Greig-trained five-year-old-old produced a perfectly timed run to take out the inaugural heat of Dubbo Turf Club's new Winter Country Classic series.
Webster-Hawes produced fine job in the saddle the first time riding Squared, sitting deep on the fence for much of the trip before moving into the middle of the track towards the top of the track.
She then pushed Squared ($5.50) forward on through a gap and the mare flew home to steal victory from Ecstatically ($8.50) and Rosesay ($13).
"I was glad she took the gap because in her previous starts a gap has opened and she hasn't always gone through," owner and long time Greig supporter Michelle Jones said.
"She's got plenty of ability but it's just a case of when she wants to use it."
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The first of the two heats on Monday was purely for mares and fillies and the first seven past the post, along with the first seven in the second for colts and geldings, advanced to the $40,000 final on June 14.
Dubbo-based Greig had four hopes in the first heat but Squared is the only one moving on to the final.
"Out of the four she's the one who should have been there," Jones said.
While she was the best chance of the quartet Jones was still surprised to see Squared get the job done.
The Wagga-trained Little Miss Nic was a $3.10 favourite but only managed to finish fifth while Fraternater ($8) missed out on a spot in the final.
"We were going to spell her and then this came up and we thought after this (we would) because we didn't expect her to win," Jones said with a laugh.
There was also praise for Webster-Hawes in her first time with Squared, getting the best from the mare to win in a photo.
She's got plenty of ability but it's just a case of when she wants to use it.
- Owner Michelle Jones
Making the effort more impressive was the amount of travel Greig's mare had done recently, she was coming off a fifth-paced finish at Moree just lat week.
"She backed up from Moree and I'm glad she showed up today," Jones added.
"But maybe that's the secret to her, maybe we have to hammer her a bit."
The second of the heats was won by another local hope, with the Allan Gibson-trained California Fox leading from start to finish.
California Fox ($31) leaped out of the boxes and built a handy lead early on before going to win by one-and-a-half lengths in a storng showing.
Petain ($14) was second for Bob Howe while Gayna Williams Skin Deep ($7.50) was third.