Trainer Gavin Smith pulled the proverbial joker out of the pack when his Querari filly Joking took full advantage of her weight pull to win the R150 000 Listed Dahlia Plate at Fairview on Saturday.
JP van der Merwe gets Joking flying late to win the Dahlia (Pic – Pauline Herman Photography)
With the race weight scale affording the maiden filly a 7,5kg advantage over the smart twice winning Oratorio gelding Sacred Oration, there was always going to be hope and jockey Juan Paul van der Merwe rode a finely judged race to put the cherry on the top of a tactical plan come together.
The lead changed hands at various stages of the 1200m 2yo race, with the favourite Seattle Flame, Sacred Oration and Itsgonnarain exchanging opportunities up front.
Gavin Smith – good day at the office
Joking, who seems best when ridden from off the pace, was six lengths back down the outside early on.
At the 300m, van der Merwe got to work on the 10-1 Joking and she started making ground and putting it all together.
At the 100m marker she snared Seattle Flame and powered home to withstand an eyecatching late challenge from Coyote Creek by 1,50 lengths in a time of 68,57 secs.
Coyote Creek came from lengths back under replacement Matthew Thackeray, and what price the son of Sail From Seattle in a maiden next time?
Seattle Flame ran a gutsy race to hold on for third, ahead of East Cape Nursery winner, Fort Winter.
Under 2 lengths covered the top four, with Sacred Oration just behind them – the Oratorio gelding may be looking for further.
Joking has won 1 race with 3 places from 5 starts for stakes of R133 350.
Bred by Maine Chance Farms, she is a daughter of Querari out of the Silvano mare, Jambalaya.
Trainer Gavin Smith enjoyed a good afternoon, saddling three winners.
