Today at Cromwell driver Gemma Thornley quickly moved Cinderella Franco into the lead and although she looked under pressure at the top of the straight she proved to be too good, beating Burnham Girl by three and a half lengths.
“Gemma said that with the full sun blinds on so she may not have seen the other horse on the outside. After giving her a squeeze she took off with the hood still on,” McRae said.
Cinderella FRANCO REPEAT
McRae, owned by Spreydon Lodge Ltd and the Organ Donation Saves Lives Syndicate, said Cinderella Franco had not inspired her connections early on.
“Twelve months ago she was kind of in the middle of the pack and there was nothing exciting about her at all. In the last two or three months she has really taken off. It’s nice to get a pleasant surprise that way, because sometimes they can surprise you the other way around.”
McRae says he can’t pinpoint the reason for her marked improvement.
“It was a few months ago that her work had really improved. From then on we thought we might have a nice one, but we had to qualify her and we had a few problems around that time. She probably only had two trials before coming to the race. She’s still quite green and still has a lot to learn.”
The win was her second in as many starts. Her first victory came four days ago in Omakau.
“I’m more impressed with the way she’s done everything. With the ringcraft she doesn’t really have, she’s handled things quite well. Omakau can be quite a tricky circuit for beginners and on her first start on the grass she took everything in stride.”
Being driven by a junior driver, Cinderella Franco’s victory today was flawless.
“She’s down to a 40 rating and I think she can handle that grade well. The way she’s doing, she might make the grades soon enough. We’ll just take it one step at a time, from here.”
For full race results, click here.
Through Bruce Stewartfor Harnesslink
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