ELSALINDA debuted in brilliant fashion at Tamworth on Sunday, running away with the 2TM Maiden Plate (1000m) and helping her owners rip a small fortune from the Tamworth bookmakers.
The Paul Berrigan filly was backed from 6-1 into 3-1 by her connections and didn’t disappoint.
The filly jumped to the front for 19-year-old apprentice Matthew Powell and was never headed, winning the scamper by three and three quarter lengths in 58.34secs.
“She jumped to the front and travelled well,” Powell said after the victory.
“She had plenty left too.
“She’s a good horse – did it early and at the finish.
“I’ve been riding most of her work and I’ve had a good opinion of her.”
Berrigan not only trains the filly but leases her off Melbourne owner, Dr Michael Rose.
“I race her with Paul Sprague,” Berrigan said of his Port Macquarie mate.
“He’s a good mate.
“The boys smashed her in the betting ring as well as backing her off course with Robbie Waterhouse.
“They got 6’s so we had a great result and walked off with a heap.
“She has been working well and Matty has done a good job with her.”
Berrigan was going to head to Walcha if she had not won Sunday with the well-bred daughter of Lion Heart.
“We were going to the Walcha Maiden with her if she didn’t win today,” he said.
“But there is a Class 2 for $27,000 at Walcha as well so we might go to that or go to Port with her.
“And then maybe a mid week or metro race in either Sydney or Brisbane.
“She’s a pretty handy little horse.”
While he was delighted with her effort, Miss Teejay’s disappointed in the Jardel Cup, travelling wide throughout and then finishing on the outside fence.
“I thought she was headed for the water trough,” Berrigan said.
“It was a hard run and she did have a real hard blow after it.”
He thinks the Queen Of The North at Port Macquarie in three weeks’ time might be the race for her now.
He had been advised to run her in the Walcha Maiden but likes the idea of taking her to Port for the $50,000 Queen Of The North (1200m) on Friday, February 15 with Elsalinda able to start in a Class 1 1000m or Class 2 1200m as well.