The record books show five-year-old mare Hawkeyedhost won the $27,000 Creek Electrical Plate (2200m) at Hamilton, but without Madison Lloyd on her back she might still be a maiden.
With 17 starts and no wins, Hawkeyedhost had promised more than she had delivered, but the Chilean-sired mare had been knocking at the door with some good finishes at Horsham and Kerang in recent starts – despite being up for a long time.
At Hamilton on Friday, Hawkeyedhost spent much of the running well back in the 14-horse field with the even-money favourite Upwards appearing to have had the easiest ride of them all.
But as things started to bunch up in the turn out of the back, Lloyd found a short cut through the corner and then started hunting for another short cut to the front.
One gap did appear to be opening in the middle of the field but as Lloyd steered that way it just as quickly closed up, so she ducked back to the rail, getting inside Upwards and fellow longshot Sunny Times.
Timing the run to perfection, Lloyd and Hawkeyedhost surged past the frontrunners, hitting the line hard and half a length in front at the juicy price of $13.70 the win.
Ecstatic Swan Hill trainer Jane Duncan could not get the smile off her face as she waited for the duo to return to scale.
“Coming around the turn I thought she might not be handling the hill all that well because they were a fair way back – and from there I was just, like, hoping,” she laughed.
“I keep thinking she should go to the paddock because she has been in for about 12 months this prep, with just a couple of fresheners.
“But she ran really well again, at Kerang the other day, and she pulled up well – and when she was has been knocking at the door with some good finishes and Horsham and Kerang in recent starts – despite being up for a long time.
“And then when she was having a bit of a pig-root the other day I thought ‘oh, well, one more go’.
“You never want to turn down mares that are in form, when they are happy and going well you just keep them ticking over.”
With her small team of horses in work, Duncan says she was “really happy” with the way things were going for her stable.
“We don’t have too many in work and we are just pretty happy doing what we’ve got and they are going well, so it’s good fun,” she said.
It’s even better fun when a long-time partnership, such as Duncan’s with Nyah West jockey Madison Lloyd, lands her another winner.
Lloyd said with the field running along at a good speed, she felt Hawkeyedhost had been handling the hill a little better than Duncan could see from the straight.
“Then going back down the hill I just had to keep asking her and asking her but when she balanced up on that flat ground, she just let down beautifully,” Lloyd said.
“Even though Hawkeyedhost has been up for a long while, Jane takes such good care of her horses, they are her pride and joy, so she is able to keep them up the way she does.”
She described the trainer as “one of the most beautiful people in racing and she has been like that since the day I met her”.
Coffey beaten by rising star
Swan Hill jockey Harry Coffey rode Arabian Summer to a fifth place finish in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic at the Gold Coast on Saturday.
Arabian Summer, already regarded a small horse, was dwarfed by the winner Storm Boy, who delivered one of the race’s most emphatic victories.
The superstar cold finished 2.5 lengths clear and his favouritism for the Golden Slipper came into $4.50 following the win.
