Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Brilliant four-year-old mare Achane Girl produced a whirlwind finishing burst to come from a seemingly impossible position on the home turn to snatch a dramatic victory from the pacemaker Special Lady in the 2130m Cowden 50TH Anniversary Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Acharne Girl was the hot $1.40 favourite from the inside of the back line and she was locked up in fifth position, three back on the pegs, while the $14.70 chance Special Lady was setting the pace.
“Turning into the back straight I couldn’t see how far the leaders had got away from me,” said reinsman Gary Hall Jnr. “And when I got out (off the pegs) about 600 metres from home, I said damn it, they’re too far away. She wasn’t going that well.
“I had to really get up her to get her going, and turning for home you wouldn’t have taken 20/1 about her winning. But in the straight the leader had come to the end of her run.”
The exciting victory was Achane Girl’s fourth from four starts as a four-year-old and it boosted her earnings to $69,277 from five wins and four placings from 15 starts.
Acharne Girl’s win came in a re-run almost an hour after the event was called off immediately after a spectacular accident moments before the mobile barrier sent the field on its way in the back straight.
Bettors Destroya, a $3.70 fancy from the No. 3 barrier, blundered and crashed sideways on to the track, dislodging her driver Emily Suvaljko and causing her father Shannon to be dislodged from $26 chance Shehadi, and Maddison Brown to be catapulted from the spider of $6.50 fancy Im Themightylucy.
Emily Suvaljko suffered from concussion and a damaged her left shoulder, while Brown was also unable to fulfil driving engagements later on the night, suffering from sore arms.
Shannon Suvaljko was unhurt and drove in later events on the program. Shehadi, Bettors Destroya and Im Themightylucy were injured and were withdrawn from the re-run.
Hall said that he was fortunate that Acharne Girl narrowly avoided interference in the accident.
Bettors Destroya, a five-year-old mare trained by Justin Prentice, has been retired to the breeding barn with a record of six wins, 14 placings and stakes of $79,700 from 37 starts. This was always planned to be her final run.