The $50,000 Mother’s Gift Handicap (1400m) was a race of sensations at Grafton’s Clarence Riverina Jockey Club on Thursday.
Pre-race favourite Highly Ambitious (Andrew Mallyon) from the Kris Lees yard was scratched at the barriers.
Once the gates crashed back, a surprisingly slow tempo allowed the Damien Lane-trained Princess Amira to find a forward position before landing a surprise victory as one of the $21 outsiders.
In winning the race, jockey Ben Looker brought up an early running double, and it was a very clever ride by the popular jockey from gate six.
The pair were initially caught three wide, but Looker was able to settle the Wyong-based mare just outside early leader Moon Over Alice (Tyler Schiller, $21).
Turning into the home straight, Looker kicked clear on the five-year-old, and they hung on gamely to defeat the Kris Lees-trained Confessed (Aaron Bullock, $4.60) by half-a-length, while just in behind them in third was the race favourite Byron Eyes (Rachel King, $4) from the Stephen Lee yard.
“We began really well; she got quite worked up in the gates, but she began like a rocket, and I was able to sit up outside the leader,” Looker said.
“It probably would have been better if we had something cross me, but the tempo was quite slow, and she was in her rhythm and travelled up really nice.
“With that weight on her back, I just had to amp it up coming into the corner and give them something to chase, and she was very good.”
Looker praised Lane for having Princess Amira cherry ripe for Thursday’s race.
“She’s well-prepared by Damo, and he’s obviously a great trainer, and he had her going well, and I was the beneficiary of that today,” Looker said,
According to Lane, his mare had been ‘mixing her form’, and before her win in the $50,000 feature, she had finished fifth in the 1200m Benchmark 64 Handicap at Gosford on June 8 before a last-start seventh in the 1200m Benchmark 66 Handicap at Mudgee on July 2.
“I don’t think the track really suited her the other day at Mudgee,” Lane said.
“It was a big weight drop, and I know she was up a little bit in grade today, but I said to Benny, ‘Don’t be scared to use her up from the gate; put her into the race’, and it’s been pretty leader-ish here the last couple of days, so we didn’t want to be getting back.”
Lane was thrilled for connections, suggesting it would be a popular win back in his hometown.
“We’ve got a good bunch of owners, and Pete Colley is obviously a good supporter of ours, and I’ve got my brother and a couple of mates from out at Coonamble that own her, and I’m sure they’ll be celebrating out at Coonamble,” Lane laughed.
Princess Amira is by Written Tycoon and out of Princess Layla and has started 20 times for four wins and five minor placings, earning over $100,000 in prize money.
‘She is a quality mare, and she came from Gai (Waterhouse), and we’ve had good luck with her,” Lane said.
“We’ve actually got Wealthy Investor, who is out of the same family, so we bought her as a tried horse, and she will probably go to stud maybe this year, but she is doing a good job.”
Lane is a regular at the Grafton July Carnival and was happy to bring up a winner.
“I love Grafton, but we had a bit of a mixed day and disappointing day yesterday,” Lane said.
“It’s not that they went bad, but we thought we could get a couple of winners and missed out, but it’s good to get a winner today.”
Lane has one more chance on the program, with recent Coonamble Cannonball winner Safado (Matthew Palmer) contesting the $75,000 James Kirby Handicap (1000m).
For all results to date and fields, click here.
