Foxton horsewoman Suzy Gordon recorded her first stakes win as a trainer at New Plymouth on Saturday when she produced the quinella in the Listed Agfirst Engineering Opunake Cup (1400m) with Prioress and Turn The Ace.
Gordon has taken over the preparation of both horses at her boutique operation after they undertook the bulk of their careers with Lisa Latta and Andrew Forsman respectively.
Prioress went into the black-type assignment off the back of an impressive victory at Hawera just seven days ago, while Turn The Ace had slowly been finding his best form with a pair of runner-up finishes behind former stablemate Mr Mojo Risin’ and Saturday’s race favourite Bonnard.
Sent forward to dispute a keenly contested pacemaking role by rider Liam Kauri, Turn The Ace took up the initiative and set a solid speed out in front. In contrast, Prioress and jockey Masa Hashizume settled third last from a wide barrier and were content to play the waiting game until moving forward from the 600m and entered the home straight as the widest runner and eight lengths from the front.
At that stage, Chajaba had run to the lead and looked set for victory, however, Turn The Ace found a second wind and began to fight back on the rails. Turn The Ace put his nose back in front with 50m to go and looked set for victory until Prioress put in several enormous bounds and snatched the decision right on the line.
Gordon was finding it hard to take in what had just happened as she said the victory was her first at stakes level.
“I’m a bit speechless as that is my first stakes winner,” Gordon said. “They were both really well and I knew Prioress loves racing on the back-up, so I was happy with both of them.
“I was watching Turn The Ace mainly and really didn’t know where the other one was, but she has a great finish on her.
“I haven’t even thought about what to do next, so we will just have to see how they pull up.”
Hashizume was confident of at least running in the money when he got a lovely cart into the race approaching the home bend.
“She jumped out nicely and I followed George (Rooke on Thooza) and got good cover,” he said. “On the corner I thought I was going to run in the top three and every time I asked her she gave more and more.
“It was a good effort as she had good cover and the rhythm of the race was just perfect.”
By Proisir out of the Bertolini mare Shahbab, the victory brings the mare’s record to seven wins and a further 20 placings, with $300,322 in earnings.
The win also completed a double on the day for Hashizume, who had earlier taken out the sixth race on the card aboard the Peter Lock-prepared Jungle Love. - LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
