A Quick Back Up For Marie Long NZ Produces the Goods
The quick back-up didn’t seem to worry Marie Long NZ, with the four-year-old taking out the second on the card at Kellerberrin, just 44 hours after her win on Friday night at Bunbury. Trainer and driver Aldo Cortopassi drove the recent import in a similar fashion to Friday night’s victory, with Cortopassi pressing forward from the back line in the early stages to be three wide, where he was able to gain the lead with two laps to go, going on to win with ease by 7.3m. Paying just $1.24 on TABTouch fixed odds, the win brought up a race-to-race double for the Byford based driver and trainer in 1:59:9 over the 2130m journey.
“It wasn’t like her to break, I just think she got herself all worked up being first up,”
“I will be trying to keep her in the mares races as much as I can.” Cortopassi said.
The day started off well for Cortopassi with Haywire breaking through for his first win at just his third start in a race. The two-year-old started from barrier four and with a bit of a scrimmage in the early stages between the favourites saw that Cortopassi was able to duck behind the leader in the early stages, pulling out with 600m to go to claim the win in the 2YO maiden on the card over the 1730m in 2:02:0.
It was a great day out for Team Bond and Deni Roberts with the trio teaming up for a treble on the card. The first leg came up in race three with WA bred three-year-old Squinta returning to the winners’ circle after 15 months between drinks. With just the 15 starts under his belt, the youngster brought up his second career victory after settling one out and two back, with Roberts making her run three wide with just under a lap to go to win by 8.7m in 2:00:1 over the 1730m sprint trip.
Dynamite Beach brought up his first win in WA since making the move at the start of 2021. In the 17 starts he had this season, he had only placed four times, but turned his form around on Sunday after leading all the way in race four for trainer Debbie Padberg and driver Shannon Suvaljko. In a mile rate of 1:58:6, the four-year-old brought up his fourth career victory and first win since July 2020, saluting at $3.50 odds.
Leg two for Team Bond and Roberts came up in race five over the 2130m with Hittheroadjack NZ starting as the $1.12 favourite from barrier five, where the four-year-old worked his way to the breeze in the early stages, managing to sit outside the leader and run him down in the concluding stages to win by 5.2m in 1:58:0, making it two in a row at the Central Wheatbelt since making the move from New Zealand.
Starting off the 10m handicap in the 2100m standing start on the card, Mufasa NZ sat in the breeze throughout to claim the win in race six at short odds. Taking the win by 5.8m, the three-year-old broke an eight-race losing sequence, with his last win back in May under the same conditions at Kellerberrin.
Fortunate Adda broke through for her first win since November 2020, breaking a 23-start losing sequence for the duo. Starting from barrier one, the six-year-old mare sat behind the leader throughout, making full use of the sprint lane to run down the race favourite, taking out the seventh on the card by 2.4m in 1:59:7 over the 2130m.
“She’s working the best she’s worked since I’ve had her.” Steer said.
Rounding out a great day out for Aldo Cortopassi, Johnny Lombo claimed the last on the card by a small margin in 2:05:0. Taking out his maiden out at just his second start, the chestnut was the only runner on the back line, landing behind the leader throughout, taking the shortest way home to win race eight over the 2130m journey.
Ashleigh Paikos