Tumut-based boutique breeder Paul Sturt is having fun with in-form mare Patrika Gold (x Katherine Gold), which has now won back-to-back races.
The six-year-old mare was only recently transferred to Donna Scott’s yard in Albury.
Still, she was quick to find her feet, and following two fourth-place finishes at Cootamundra and Wagga in October, she boulted in for a nearly eight-length win at Tumut on Derby Day.
Contesting the 1200m Benchmark 58 Handicap, apprentice Coriah Keatings bounced her out in front, and the pair led easily and cruised to an all-the-way victory.
“She came here out of Victoria with some pretty good form, but she had a higher rating than we thought she might have,” Scott said.
“It can be challenging over this side of the border, and we gave her a couple of starts, and she went well, but Nick (Heywood) got off and suggested we use an apprentice and look for somewhere with a short straight.
“We went to Tumut, and as much as she was racing out of her grade, I said to Paul, ‘Why not go for a kill and get some money in the bank?’.”
On Tuesday, Scott started the Puissance De Lune mare on her home track in Albury, and Keatings was again in the saddle as they took on the tougher 1175m Benchmark 66 Handicap.
The pair again jumped well from gate five and led by a length on settling down, and Keatings gave the little mare a terrific front-running ride when winning by a length.
“Coriah does well on those front-running horses. With her form, she is a horse that pings and lands a length in front, and that’s what she did at Tumut, and that’s what we were hoping she would do at Albury,” Scott said.
“We did the form and looked at a few others that had led, and I said to Coriah beforehand, ‘You should be able to make your intent known, land in front, give her a bit of dig out and hope nothing takes you on’, and she did rate her well, and it couldn’t have worked out any better.”
Connections had been considering taking on a Highway Handicap in Sydney, and while Scott admitted it was an option when Patrika Gold was still a Class Three galloper, the experienced trainer was just happy to see the speedy mare racing well.
“Paul sent her up for a Highway, and we both knew she was performing well enough to head up that way, but she won at Tumut, and that’s not the greatest form to take into a TAB Highway,” Scott said.
“She raced so well yesterday (Tuesday), and it’s a shame she is not eligible now, but we’ve worked out now that she likes an apprentice on her, and we’ll find something that will fit in with her.
“We might even see if we can step her out over a bit more of a trip.”
Patrika Gold is only lightly raced, starting ten times and registering four wins during a stop-start career.
When asked the secret to her success, Scott believes it all came back to keeping Patrika Gold fresh and happy.
“She came from Mitch Freedman, and she was sound and in good condition, but she is a fairly light mare and just doesn’t do great with a lot of racing and work and needs space between her runs,” Scott said.
“She had shown signs in jump-outs at Flemington, but she would go off the boil, and she would race and show more good signs, but she wasn’t always eating, and maybe that’s why Paul sent her here.
“It’s a different ball game down there and a different lifestyle. Here, she has a day yard, and she gets to go out for a pick, and we swim her a fair bit, and with that info that Paul’s given us, we try and keep her fresh, and maybe we’ve found a little niche with her.”
While not committing to anything, Scott said a trip south of the border or even the Tumut Cup in February, among other country cups in the area, could be options in the future.
“Those little country circuits will suit her, especially if she can run the longer trip,” Scott said.
“She did a massive job here at Albury, and the track is not ideal for front-runners, and where she races will come into play a bit when we start to look for those suitable races at tracks that suit those leaders.
“Tracks like Benalla and Wangaratta will suit, too, as they have shorter straights, so we might even go that side of the border.”
Sturt hopes to keep up the excellent run with Patrika Gold and another galloper in Patrika Mist, which races with Joe Ible at Kembla Grange.
The Smart Missile mare out of Dawn Mist has started 13 times, won four times, and most recently contested the 1800m Benchmark 72 Midway Handicap at Royal Randwick on Melbourne Cup day.
