Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Classy mare Little Darling’s prospects of winning the $75,000 Share Bets With TABtouch Bet Loop Empress Stakes at Gloucester Park on Friday night appeared dismal when she was hopelessly hemmed in on the pegs behind the frontrunning Penny Black halfway down the back straight in the final lap of the 2536m event.
But with 520m to travel the situation changed dramatically when Penny Black shifted out and the breeze horse Delightful Peg was badly checked and dropped back, out of contention. This allowed Deni Roberts to send Aardiebytheseaside to the front while Jocelyn Young was able to send Little Darling, an $18.80 chance, through on the inside and settle into a spirited duel with Aardiebytheseaside.
Little Darling fought on tigerishly and got to the front in the home straight and went on to win by a metre from the fast-finishing $10 chance Copy Cat Queen, with Aardiebytheseaside ($10) in third place.
Penny Black’s mistake of rolling up the track was not entirely unexpected, with Young saying she had it in the back of her mind the time when she was driving Steno in a race at Pinjarra and gained a dream inside run when Penny Black shifted out off the pegs.
“After getting the inside run tonight Little Darling had to dig deep to fight off Aardiebytheseaside,” said Young.
Little Darling was having her first start for a month on Friday night, with trainer Cameron Ross explaining that a month between runs was not ideal but was necessary after the mare had finished at the rear at two appearances in March.
“She won first-up (on February 20) and then we probably overdrove her and things didn’t work out,” said Ross. “She wasn’t racing at her best, so we stopped and went back to the start. We gave her a block of work and tonight she showed that was the right move.
“She will now be set for the $50,000 WASBA Breeders Stakes on May 8, and after that she might have a let-up before getting ready for the big events for mares in November.”
Seven-year-old Little Darling boasts a fine record of 65 starts for 15 wins, 24 placings and $488,558 and will be one of main fancies for the $100,000 Norms Daughter Classic and the $150,000 Mares Classic.