Inverell trainer Luke Berger says his mare Mellore has never missed out on a win during a preparation.
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So there’s two ways he’d have felt as the five-year-old came to the end of her preparation.
Either the golden run was over or a win was just around the corner.
Berger was thinking the latter and for good reason, too.
Mellore scored her sixth career win, and first since July last year, in the Luke Morgan Breaking In And Pre Training Stables Benchmark 64 Handicap over 1000 metres on Tuesday at Tamworth.
“We’ve had her from day dot and we haven't had a racing prep where she hasn't won a race,” Berger said.
“She’s probably got two or three left this prep so it was getting to the time that you’d think she’d win one.”
With apprentice Leah Kilner on board, Mellore led all the way to just edge out Jan Bowen’s Enjoyable with the favourite, the Cody Morgan-trained Manabar, a length back in third.
Berger said Mellore had been riding without luck of late including a close second last start in Armidale.
He had confidence heading into the Tamworth race after the mare had “drawn a gate and got a bit of weight relief”.
Just before the bend, Merger’s confidence went up another notch.
“She got a pretty good break on them coming to the corner. She had a few of them off the bit travelling,” Berger said.
“It wasn't a bad little race. I thought it was a a pretty even field. The last 100 was always going to be the hardest but she got there.”
Berger also had big raps on Kilner who linked up with Mellore for the second time on Tuesday.
“She’s going good,” Berger said of Kilner.
“She only got her licence a couple of months ago and she outrode her four-kilo claim really quick.
“She couldn't claim her full allowance today so we had the chance to take her off if we wanted to but we decided to stick with her because we like the way she rides and I think she’s going places.”
Berger will most likely race Mellore next at Armidale at the beginning of March.