Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Speedy four-year-old Our Sandy Shore continued her winning ways and earned a start in the $150,000 Mares Classic next Friday night with a splendid victory in the $23,000 Perth’s Hit Music Station Nova 93.7 Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The Sunshine Beach mare, trained by Colin Brown, was the $2.30 favourite from barrier five, with Maddison Brown in the sulky. She began swiftly and took the lead after 300m before coasting through the opening quarters in 30.4sec. and 29.3sec. and then dashing over the final 400m sections in 28.5sec. and 29sec. to win by a length from $8 chance Sista Sammy, who finished strongly from sixth at the bell.
This was Our Sandy Shore’s eighth win from twelve starts this season and took her earnings to $105,218 from nine wins and 12 placings from 31 starts.
“She will be nominated for the Mares Classic next Friday, and I will have to chose between her and Jocelyn Young’s Castella Dellacqua as my drive in the race,” said Maddison Brown.
“On the track, Our Sandy Shore has a lot of speed, and she won’t disgrace herself against the likes of Steno and Aardiebytheseaside, particularly if she gets a handy draw.”
With six wins from her past eight starts Our Sandy Shore will add plenty of interest in the 2536m Mares Cassic. She is the third foal out of the Bettors Delight mare Winter Strike, who raced 31 times for four wins, three placings and $25,385.
Winter Strike is a full-sister to the brilliant Bettors Strike, who earned $789,864 from 16 wins and 26 placings from 77 starts. At the peak of his powers he finished second to Monkey King in the $1 million New Zealand Cup at Addington in November 2009 before he dead-heated for first with Ohoka Nevada in the Group 2 Cranbourne Cup and then won the Group 1 Victoria Cup at Melton, beating Smoken Up and Blacks A Fake, and the Group 1 Tasmania Cup at Elwick.