Ken Casellas | Photo: Pacepix
Former champion trainer-reinsman Trevor Warwick received a welcome tonic on Friday night when diminutive filly Fly To Fame charged home from the rear to win the $20,250 Beau Rivage Christmas In July Pace at Gloucester Park.
Warwick was in St John Of God Hospital in Subiaco recovering from successful back surgery on Thursday when Fly To Fame, trained by his wife Katja, overcame the disadvantage of starting from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line to score an impressive victory as a $21 chance, despite her easy win at her previous outing, a fortnight earlier.
Chris Lewis restrained Fly To Fame to the rear in the field of twelve while $8.50 chance Our Lililou was setting the pace after a fast lead time of 35.3sec.
The opening quarter was covered in a smart 28.9sec. while Lewis was content to keep Fly To Fame in eleventh position. Lewis switched Fly To Fame three wide approaching the bell, and she sustained her effort and went five wide on the home turn before getting to the front 110m from the post and winning by a neck from $23 chance Sweet Vivienne, who had come from the rear, with Fly To Fame following her.
Sweet Vivienne took the lead 220m from home but was unable to hold off the fast-finishing Fly To Fame, who had set the pace from barrier one and had scored an easy win a fortnight earlier.
“She is not just a frontrunner,” said Mrs Warwick. “She can do anything you want her to do. She is getting better and better all the time and I just don’t know what her limits are. She will now run in the $30,000 Westsired feature event for three-year-old fillies next Friday night.”
Fly To Fame, a Follow The Stars filly bred and owned by Bob Fowler, has raced 29 times for six wins, 12 placings and $90,222 in prizemoney.
While in hospital Trevor Warwick mentioned to doctors that he had a sore wrist, the result of being kicked a week or so ago by two-year-old colt Allwoods Chevron, a half-brother to Fly To Fame. X-rays then revealed that he had suffered a fractured wrist, which is now in a plaster cast.