Wishlor Lass (+120) has taken out the Group 3 Ladies Day Vase to take her career record to five wins from seven starts, proving that the Symon Wilde-trained mare still has a lot of upside.
The daughter of Mshawish was heavily backed with online bookmakers, from +200 into her starting price of +120, suggesting that many punters were in the camp of the expected leader in another race that was dominated by a horse that settled in the first four.
Damian Lane was having his first ride on Wishlor Lass, and after she jumped well from barrier six, Lane allowed the five-year-old mare to roll along at her own speed.
After the field rounded the home turn, it appeared as though Barbie's Fox (+380) was going to run straight on by, but the leader picked herself up off the canvas and kicked back to win the race by neck on the line, with Foxy Frida (+750) running into third place just under two lengths away.
Symon Wilde spoke about the win of his lightly-raced mare post-race.
“She's a bit untapped and we threw her in the deep end today. I think she's got really good staying potential,” Wilde said.
“I think that horse (Barbie's Fox) levelling with her actually pushed her on a bit. She's still very green and has got plenty of upside.
“That is a really valuable win for her and we've got the mare and a lot of the progeny so it is an important win.
“She is a winner and for the two runs that she didn't win she was desperately unlucky.
“She's building a really nice record, and it will be so interesting where else we go in the springtime.
“She handled today beautifully. I led her around and she was lovely and relaxed.
“For a country horse coming to the city with people screaming with The Everest on, she handled it really well.
“She's just starting to mature, and I don't know where the ceiling is.
“I don't know. Maybe the Empire Rose. We loosely pencilled in the 2000-metre mares race (Matriarch).”
Damian Lane brought up a riding double on Wishlor Lass, and he spoke post-race.
“She was great. Big bold-going horse. Big stride,” Lane said.
“She just floated out in front there a little bit but when the other horse came at her she knuckled down.
“She tends to pull but she's got the stamina and was strong to the line.”
Wishlor Lass is an +1000 chance in the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes futures market with online betting sites.