Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Ravenswood trainer Nathan Turvey has struck a purple patch with three winners from three starters in the space of five days.
The middle leg of his treble came at Gloucester Park on Friday night when Gary Hall Jnr drove Tasmanian-bred mare Shes A Tiny Dancer, the $3.10 favourite, to a comfortable win in the $21,000 BOTRA Thanks Nutrimate Pace over 2130m.
The treble began at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night when $3.30 chance Beach Captain, driven by Kylah Madden, charged home from eighth and last at the bell to win by three lengths from Tumblin Dice.
And then at Bunbury on Saturday night Hall combined with Turvey to win a heat of the John Higgins memorial with $19.20 chance Major Jay, who beat Onesmartfella and Hunt The Magic in a three-way photo finish.
Turvey, who has prepared 714 winners, made a wise decision earlier this year when he outlaid $12,000 to buy Shes A Tiny Dancer after the A Rocknroll Dance mare was advertised for sale on the internet.
Shes A Tiny Dancer has already more than returned her purchase price. She is raced by Turvey, long-time stable client Gary Mawdesley, Travis Dinsdale and Maddy Coles, and she has earned $17,633 from her first win and four placings from eight WA starts.
Shes A Tiny Dancer began from the outside barrier in the field of eight in Friday night’s race and was left in the breeze, back in sixth place on the first lap before Cherry On The Cake ($7) moved outside the pacemaker Lady dela Hoya ($6.50) with 1250m to travel, thus enabling Shes A Tiny Dancer to enjoy an ideal sit in the one-out, one-back position.
Cherry On The Cake got to the front approaching the home turn before Shes A Tiny Dancer burst past her 90m from the post to go on and win by a length and a half, rating 1.59 after final quarters of 29.5sec. and 28.3sec.
Shes A Tiny Dancer is the eighth foal out of Artsplace mare Parfait Bromac, who was retired after two unplaced efforts as a three-year-old in 2011. Before coming to WA Shes A Tiny Dancer had raced nine times in Tasmania for one win and 21 times in Victoria for two wins.
Parfait Bromac’s third foal Tall Poppy won five times from 25 New Zealand starts before being sold to American interests. She won another 21 races in the United States and ended her career with 26 wins, 36 placings and $276,679 in stakes from 131 starts.