Ex-kiwi mare Spylark ploughed through the heavy conditions on Sunday to notch win number one at just her second Australian start for trainer Henry Dwyer. The four-year-old mare made light work of the small field on her home track, recording a one-and-a-half-length win on the line under a well-controlled ride by jockey Blaike McDougall. The daughter of Niagara has been guilty of poor pre-race manners in recent times and she again proved a handful for the barrier attendants, who had plenty of time to work on her with just a four-horse field assembled. Once loaded and the gates opened, she settled into a nice gallop and sat in the second pair of the quartet, McDougall easing her three wide at the top of the straight and allowing her to gather in the leading duo and put the race to bed inside the final furlong. It was a convincing win, however stewards advised that she would be required to trial twice to satisfaction before running again, leaving her trainer to concede that now was the perfect time to send her to the paddock.
From the trainer:
She can go and have a nice break now.
She won very easily…Blaike was very easy one her. She pulled up like she hadn’t been around.