Talented mare Spylark ($16) cruised to a first-up win at Donald on Friday, running away from her rivals to score by four lengths on the line. The four-year-old daughter of Niagara again gave the barrier boys a hard time in the loading process, but was able to be loaded and take her place in the 1350-metre benchmark-64 contest. Jockey Mitch Aitken gave her a lovely ride, finding cover midfield before pushing into the clear at the top of the straight and taking over at the 200-metre mark. The race was over in a matter of strides, Dwyer’s mare kicking clear in the middle of the track to win eased down on the line. It was a dominant win by the lightly-raced galloper, who looks set to go on with the job if she can keep her head in the game. Aitken’s thoughts post-race:
“She’s got a few quirks about her this one.
“Just at the top of the straight there was a little bit going on, and I thought we’ll just get her into clear room. She really found the line and relished those conditions”.
It was a performance the stable always knew she could produce, the mare’s main roadblock in life has never been ability, but lies been between her ears. Her trainer captured the bittersweet feeling in a post-race briefing. “She ran away from them and pulled up like she hadn’t been around. She’s obviously got a good deal of ability, tinged with some idiosyncrasies which is very unfortunate. While there’s a bit to celebrate today, there’s a downside too”. Dwyer refers to the stewards’ orders to return to the trials before being eligible to race again, a task made more difficult given the rarity of official trials held in the central or western part of the state.
Spylark now has two wins from four starts, and if she can get her head in the right space, will have no troubles finding the winner’s stall again in the future.