The admirably consistent Wandjina mare Terra Mater booked her ticket for the $1,000,000 Midway Championship final on Day Two of The Championships at Randwick with a hard-fought victory in Wednesday’s Polytrack Provincial-Midway Championship Wildcard Plate (1400m).
Nash Rawiller needed to weave a perilous passage close to the fence on the Jarrod Austin-trained 4-year-old.
When finally finding clear air, Terra Mater needed to dig deep to repel the challenge of the fast-finishing Sacred Falls Willinga Freefall, with the New Approach gelding Baltic Coast claiming third.
The second and third are trained by Kris Lees and earn a place in the championship final, giving Kees five runners.
Terra Mater’s three-race-winning sequence ended at her previous start when a troubled fourth in a Provincial-Midway Championship Qualifier at Gosford. It was the first time she had missed the board in 13 stats.
The daughter of Larneuk Stud’s handsome Snitzel stallion is one win away from becoming one of the great bargains of modern times.
A $1,750 Inglis Digital weanling purchase for Garry Carden off Widden Stud in 2020, Terra Mater advances her record to six wins, five seconds and a third from 13 starts with earnings of $358,450.
Bred by the Vieira Group, Terra Mater is the best of three winners from as many to race for the unraced Bel Esprit mare Before Time.
Before Time has a yearling filly by Dark Acclaim (IRE) and was one of 22 mares covered by the son of Dark Angel last spring.
