LOVING HEART (4yo Mare by Epaulette x Lucentino) claimed a tough and much deserved (and overdue) race win for her lovely “All Ladies Ownership Team” when the Brett Cavanough trained mare led throughout to claim a 1.12 length win of the Tattersalls Hotel Maiden Handicap over 1200m at Gilgandra (NSW Country TAB Meeting) on Saturday 24/8.
On a Good 4 surface that was downgraded after her race to a Soft 5, Loving Heart was ridden by Billy Cray who delivered our pre-race tactics to perfection, to win with authority and break her maiden at her 9th career start.
Loving Heart ($3.10 second favourite) defeated Megalodon ($1.95 Favourite) by 1.12 lengths with a further 1 length back to Seawatch in third.
Tactically when the race was reviewed at acceptance time, there was no obvious speed on paper and we anticipated getting a soft lead.
So we believed the best chance of winning this was to turn the race into a sit and sprint affair.
Instructions were simply go to the front straight away and run them along for just a furlong (200m) them drop anchor and peel off some steady sections before going for home off the front, at the 450m.
Gilgandra has an unusual track layout where it has two dog leg turns from the 400m and their straight is less than 200m. So it certainly favours on pace horses.
We believed if we could get to the lead as anticipated and peel off steady mid race fractions, then sprint off the front, it would prove near mathematically impossible for those chasing her to win and that’s how it panned out.
Any idea where she may have got her name from?
Loving Heart jumped well and from barrier 5 went to the front.
Unexpectedly, another runner Seawatch rolled forward but wasn’t able to get to the lead so sat our girth with the favourite and eventual runner-up sitting behind us with cover.
Mid-race they went very slowly with Loving Heart controlling the race on the fence. Just before the 400m mark, Billy Cray pushed the go button and the pair had an instant length lead and were going strongly, whilst putting all those chasing her under pressure.
In the run to the post those chasing all had their chances but simply they had no answer as Loving Heart was going far too well and was able to hold off the field to win comfortably.
Congrats to all the Dynamic Ladies who own Loving Heart.
Their loyalty to Loving Heart has been unwavering and whilst sometimes both frustrating and at times disappointing, she has repaid the ladies faith by continuing to try hard and with that effort, the planets aligned to see her win for them.
Loving Heart has now raced on 9 occasions: 1 win, 0 seconds, 1 third.
Loving Heart from Dynamic Syndications on Vimeo.
ABOVE: Replay of the race
LOVING HEART is owned by: Dynamic Ladies Racing Syndicate, Mrs A T Woollett, Mrs D L Russ, Ms J H Long, Ms R Gardiner, Mrs R P Kelly, Mrs H Vella, Miss S V Hickmott, Ms L M Dumbleton, Mrs M J Stone, Anjan Racing Syndicate, Ms K Ford, Ms A Taylor, Mrs T Warburton, Mrs A Blackmore, Mrs J Quinlan, Mrs B Poletto, Ms N Breeze
Well Done Girls !
Loving Heart became Dynamic Syndications 213th Individual Winner and she recorded our 4th Win for the new season which started on the 1st August.
Loving Heart also recorded our 601st Race Win.