Colt Prosser and Danny Peisley combined for a good win at Ballina on Thursday, with Poita showcasing a good turn of foot to take out the Cherry Street Sports Group Benchmark 66 Handicap (1010 Metres).
Poita ($10) commenced nicely from gate six, and Peisley was able to sit in behind the leaders as the John Shelton-trained Awesome Miss (Zac Wadick, $4.40) ran the field along.
Turning for home, Peisley bided his time before peeling wide and exploding into space, landing an eye-catching win on Poita, which got home by half-a-length from Awesome Miss, while just shy of a length back in third was the Matthew Dunn-trained Beau Arrow (Jai Williams, $7).
It was Poita’s fourth win from ten starts on soft tracks and his sixth win overall, and Prosser pointed towards the soft seven at Ballina as one of the main reasons behind his galloper’s impressive win.
“He ran into a couple of real slick tracks at Grafton that didn’t suit him, and he loves the sting out of the track,” Prosser said to Sky Racing’s Gary Kliese after the race.
Peisley rode the five-year-old a treat, and Prosser praised the 26-year-old, who has been riding in good form.
“I think I’ve found his right jockey; I don’t know who’s madder,” he laughed.
“He’s a good boy, he’s had his little issues, but he’s a great rider on his day.”
Poita did race closer to the speed than usual and still showcased a strong finish, and Prosser said it all came down to his talented yet enigmatic Headwater gelding being happy in the run.
“He’s done that before here, and the young girl (Heidi Gillie) ran second on him and just couldn’t get the job done that day earlier in his prep,” Prosser said.
“I just said to Danny, ‘Have him where he’s happy; he’s probably not letting down as great as he does when he has no weight’, and he had 61kg today.
“Danny had him where he was happy, and when he’s happy, he runs well.”
Poita has been a good earner for connections, winning just shy of $150,000 in prizemoney, and Prosser believes there are more wins in store.
“He’s a great little horse, and in his day, he’s brilliant, but he can do so much wrong,” he said.
Peisley, who’s been riding well, bringing up recent wins at the Gold Coast, Kilcoy, and Lismore, touched on Poita’s impressive victory.
“I was a bit more forward than I expected to be, but look, he just jumped so well, and there were a couple that went fast, and I just sat in behind them,” Peisley said.
“He felt like the winner the whole way, and when I asked him to let down, he really hit the line.”
On another good day of racing at Ballina, the winners were shared around, and for all results, click here.
