TIRUNESH powered home to claim her maiden win at Tamworth yesterday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The two-year-old bay filly surged down the straight to overpower race favourite Bulldust and take out the Winter Sponsorship Packages Available Pace (1609m).
Bulldust was, in the end, consigned to third with Nostalgic Beach flashing down the outside to run a 2 1/2m second to Tirunesh.
Sally Torrens trains and drove the Art Major (USA)-Simply Suri (NZ) filly.
She also part-owns her with John Snape.
Yesterday was her first start for about three months.
Her last run was at Bathurst at the end of March in the series there.
“We targeted that race with her,” Torrens said.
“She went well that series. We were more than happy with what she did.”
“We just wanted to bring her back as a late two-year old to win as a two-year old.”
Miss Presidential (Anthony Missen) and Dales Dollar (Scott-Jon Welsh) were the best away but with more than a lap to go, Bulldust (Lola Weidemann) had gone to the front.
She held the lead until the straight, with Torrens making her move heading into the last turn and attacking Bulldust on the outside.
She then had too much speed in the straight.
“She had been working well,” Torrens said.
“When she drew the one I thought she’d have a nice race.”
She said there was a lot of gate speed and she was pretty happy with how she came out.
“She came out as good as I wanted her to,” she said.
“It was not a bad effort. She sat outside the leader for probably 800m of the race.”
That wasn’t quite to the plan.
“When you draw the one, you think you’ll be on the fence most of the race,” Torrens said.
Things didn’t turn out that way so when the gap opened up, Torrens took it.
She said she doesn’t have any firm plans for Tirunesh yet.
The versatile trainer will be back trackside today.
She saddles up three in today’s Tamworth race meeting – Estada in the third, Subtract in the fourth and Romanticize in the eighth.
All three are fair chances.
“They are all going well,” Torrens said.
Estada won last start at Gunnedah, as did Subtract at Dubbo and Romanticize in Tamworth.
She also has Rosie O’Rourke engaged at Newcastle (trots) tonight.