Last Party had a big day out at Tamworth Paceway on Friday in taking out the opening event – the TAB.com.au.Pace.
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Commencing as race favourite, the little Bettors Delight-Its My Party filly was having her first start on Australian soil.
Singleton Heights trainer Aaron Goadsby was watching trackside to see how Last Party would perform at her debut for the stables and showed concern when the filly “jumped a shadow” and missed a few strides.
“We were happy,” said Goadsby. “She is a bit of an unknown as we have only had her for a month.
“I don’t know what happened there but I’m sure the driver will let us know.”
Hunter Valley reinsman Michael Formosa accepted the drive behind Last Party and he too was unsure of how his drive would pan out.
“She jumped a shadow on the corner but that is just one of those things,” said Formosa. “She got the cash so that was the main thing.”
As the bell was sounding for the final lap, Formosa had Last Party racing out in the breeze, with the Dean Chapple trained-and-driven Art Secret leading the field.
“I had no choice but to sit outside him [Art Secret],” said Formosa, who had commenced from the six barrier.
“After she jumped the shadow she got down pretty quick but when the other horses came at her, she lost concentration again. But once she got going I was happy with her.”
Last Party who was only having her fifth career start.
“When I let her go for home she just took off but I wanted to keep her together,” Formosa said.
“She is looking up in the world now that she has won in Tamworth,” he added, joking. “But I think Aaron will have a lot of fun with her.”
Last Party travelled down the home straight to have a 7.8 metre win over Bathurst pacer Safely Under Wraps (Peter Hedges) and the Tony Missen-trained Rubbers Dilemma (Tom Ison) was another 6.7m away third.
The mile rate for the 1980m journey was 2min.02.2sec.
“The best she felt in all of the race was the last few metres,” said Formosa.
In the second event on the program, the Global Bloodstock Pace, Bold and Famous broke through for her first career win in race start 29.
Driven by local reinsman Michael Grima – for an all-the-way win – it was also a debut victory for Tamworth trainer Tim Varga.