After a 16-month absence from the track, mid-Canterbury racer Sarah O’Reilly was back on the winning streak today, saluting the judge in Oamaru.
O’Reilly suffered a training accident at the Ashburton circuit in July last year, breaking the humerus in her arm. It required surgery, but a subsequent CT scan showed she needed a plate in her arm for it to heal completely. That healing took time.
In today’s race, O’Reilly entered the Brent and Tim White-trained Molly Maeve Estelle (Art major) behind pacer Star From Heaven and when the passing lane presented itself, O’Reilly brought her filly in to win by a length and a quarter from Top Draw.
MOLLY MAEVE ESTELLE REPETITION
“She was on the ride all the way, especially in the last corner, and I thought I had a pretty good chance. I didn’t have to pull the plugs and she did it easily,” O’Reilly said.
The last time Sarah greeted the judge was on the 12th in Addingtone from July last year.
“It was a little weird. I hadn’t done it in a while. It was nice to be able to do it again.”
Molly Maeve Estelle is out of the nine-win mare Twilight Rascal and is therefore a half-sister to Beach Ball, the winner of eleven.
O’Reilly said the first driver to congratulate her was Jonny Cox, and there have been texts from others as well.
“There have been quite a few, which is nice.”
O’Reilly knows she will have to work hard to rebuild her race day riding after being away from the races for so long.
Yesterday she rode Forever Miki, a two-year-old in the White’s stable, to the Methven Workouts.
“Everyone likes him. He has a nice long stride and it looks like he could be a very nice horse.”
Forever Miki is a daughter of Always B Miki from Strawberry Fields and is a half-brother to Bungalow Bill (31), Inner Light (14) and Taxman (5).
For full race results, click here.
Through Bruce Stewartfor Harnesslink
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