Three-year-old gelding Pannier broke through for a his maiden victory on the second day of Warrnambool’s May carnival. Henry Dwyer’s promising son of Tavistock had been solid in two runs back this preparation, the addition of blinkers switching him on as he raced closer to the speed and stole the prize on a testing heavy track. Jockey John Allen settled fifth in the run and switched around tiring horses on the bend to give chase to Churchie Girl, who had snatched a lead and broken away from the rest of the field. Allen was able to reel in that runner and levelled up with 100-metres to go, getting the job done without absolutely putting the field away in the closing stages. “She was good and tough right to the line”, Allen said post-race. “We weren’t breaking any land speed records but he stuck at it well”. Trainer Henry Dwyer will aim Pannier at staying three-year-old races in town later this preparation and is likely to take him to a benchmark race on the country circuit to chalk up another win on a rain-affected surface.
