Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Coincidences never fail to surprise, and there was a remarkable occurrence on Friday night when In A Wink caused an upset when she finished fast to win the Nova 93.7 Pace at Gloucester Park, a little more than six hours after her half-sister Allamerican Lover won the Group 1 Breeders Stakes for mares 5,053 kilometres away at Addington Raceway in Christchurch.
In A Wink, owned by Team Bond and prepared by champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond, was the $8.20 second fancy in an event expected to be dominated by brilliant three-year-old filly Xceptional Arm, who was the $1.06 favourite from the outside barrier in the field of six.
Luci Kane pulled hard as she set a fast pace, which left Xceptional Arma working in the breeze and In A Wink enjoying a perfect trail behind that filly in the one-out, one-back position.
Xceptional Arma, driven by Maddison Brown, eventually forged clear with 250m to travel but was unable to hold out In A Wink, who burst to the front 50m from the post and won by 2m at a 1.56.2 rate over the 2130m journey.
In A Wink is by Bettors Delight and she was having her first start for five months, with her driver Deni Roberts admitting she was surprised with her splendid performance.
In A Wink is the fourth foal out of Goodlookingbabe, a modest performer in New Zealand who raced there 14 times for three wins and stakes of $20,475. In A Wink now has had nine starts for four wins, three placings and $40,803 and has a long way to go to match the achievements of her six-year-old half-sister Allamerican Lover, who has earned $298,675 from 13 wins and nine placings from 34 starts.
At Addington on Friday night Allamerican Lover raced one-out and one-back before being switched three wide at the bell and then working in the breeze before getting to the front on the home turn and dashing away to win from the fast-finishing unusually-named mare Mr Kaplan.
A fortnight earlier Allamerican Lover gave an outstanding performance to win a Group 2 1980m event at Addington when she began from the outside barrier (No. 9) and was restrained back to 13TH position in the field of 14 before starting a three-wide move at the bell and racing in the breeze and getting to the front 120m from the post.
In A Wink’s victory completed a double for Roberts and a treble for the Bonds, with Roberts saying: “Things worked out very well, with the favourite having to do all the work while we had a perfect sit.
“I was surprised at the win, with In A Wink a bit on the gross side. Her work has been good but being a little filly, we don’t like to do too much with her. She was a lot more forward than I expected.”
The Bonds also enjoyed great success with, In A Wink’s elder full-sister, In The Spotlight, who raced 20 times in WA for nine wins and five placings, with her major victory being the Group 1 Diamond Classic in May 2021 in which she defeated Taking The Miki.
In The Spotlight left for America in November 22 where she has won five times to improve her record to 47 starts for 14 wins, 15 placings and $245,044.
It is interesting to note that Goodlookingbabe’s half-sister Elle Mac was a superstar who was retired to the breeding barn as a four-year-old in 2019 after a glittering career of twelve wins, ten placings and stakes of $476,806. In Group 1 events she won six times, finished second three times and third once.