Ken Casellas | Photo: Gloucester Park Harness Racing
Baskerville trainer Ryan Bell was lavish in his praise of Miss Limelight after the New Zealand-bred four-year-old mare had scored a runaway victory in the Andy Sheahan Hall Of Fame Inductee Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“I think she is a really good mare, and I am setting her for the major events for mares later this year,” he said.
Miss Limelight certainly has all the earmarks of developing into a candidate for the $100,000 Norms Daughter Classic on November 11, the $150,000 Mares Classic on November 25 and the $50,000 Christmas Belles on December 23.
“Her work has been really good, week after week, but she has been up for a while and deserves a break,” said Bell. “Then after a few weeks off I’ll prepare her for those big races for mares.”
Miss Limelight was third favourite at $7.20 from barrier six, and Kyle Symington did not bustle her early while Lady Jadore ($5.50) sped through the lead time in 35.6sec., with Angel In White, the $2.50 favourite, quickly moving to the breeze.
Miss Limelight was sixth at the bell before Symington set her alight with a three-wide burst which took her to the lead 270m from home. She then careered away from her rivals and won by seven and a half lengths from $41 outsider Miss Lamarr, who finished powerfully from seventh at the bell.
Miss Limelight, owned by Albert Walmsley, is by Bettors Delight and is the ninth foal out of Its Showtime, whose fourth foal Elios is a full-sister to Miss Limelight. Elios raced 28 times for ten wins, eight placings and $220,176. His wins included the group 2 2700m Futurity Stakes (beating champion pacer Christen Me) at Waikato in January 2014 and the group 1 Messenger Free-For-All at Alexandra Park in May 2014 when he defeated Franco Nelson and Norvic Nightowl.
Miss Limelight’s 46 starts have produced 13 wins, 12 placings and $128,450.