By ‘Pegs’
IT was a Hope family victory on their home track at Seymour Racing Club’s eight-race program on Thursday.
Trained in partnership with the father-son duo of Lee and Shannon Hope and strapped by the latter’s wife, Dee Hope, the New Zealand-bred Doctor Robert, paying $26, was ridden by Shannon’s daughter Tahlia getting the judge’s nod in the 1600-metre Avenel Equine Hospital Maiden Plate.
The three-year-old Proisir gelding got up in the last stride to defeat the $2.35 favourite Anarya by a short-half-head with Tenace, $2.80, a long neck away third.
“In his races and jumpouts he’d been settling at the rear of the field so we told Tahlia to ride him more forward and it worked,” Lee Hope said.
“Tahlia followed the path where he gallops of a morning and he did the rest for her.”
Formerly trained in Sydney by Annabel Neasham, Shannon purchased the gelding online for longtime stable client Tony Buckley. Doctor Robert was having his third race start.
Mixed feelings after win
Later on the Seymour card, Kilmore-trained Matao Ma, a $3.80 favourit, impressively made it back-to-back wins in taking out the Anco Turf BM58 Handicap, over 1200 metres.
The Hanna Powell-trained and part-ownedwith her husband Ian, four-year-old was eased down approaching the winning post by promising apprentice Hannah Le Blanc.
The Brazen Beau gelding defeated the David ‘Butch’ Bourne-trained In Due Time by six lengths with Changing Tracks, $31, a further one and a half lengths away in third spot.
There was a touch of sadness when Powell greeted Matao Ma back to the winner’s stall, as Dean Holland who died in a race fall at Donald last Monday, rode the gelding in his previous win at Kilmore a fortnight earlier and was booked to ride the gelding at Seymour.
“He was a bit of a wind sucker when I first got him and he has lessened that to hardly anything. He’s just a happy horse,” Powell said.
Formerly trained by Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr, the gelding was having only his third run for the Powells.
Matao Ma had seven placings prior to his two wins from 12 starts.
