3 minute read
Trainer Glenn Stevenson plans to make the most of regular racing back on the Devonport synthetic track and he says his recent stable acquisition High Maintenance can be the star of the winter racing program.
In Brief
- Former Victorian galloper making his mark.
- Stevenson confident High Maintenance can keep winning during winter.
- Jordan bags three winners.
High Maintenance ($2.40 favourite) made it back-to-back wins on the synthetic when he powered home to easily take out the Kevin Sharkie maiden-Class One over 1880m.
The former Victorian gelding settled fourth for stable apprentice Codi Jordan and travelled well while Signal Hill ($10) set the speed with Judge Burns ($2.70), also prepared by Glenn Stevenson , content to slot in behind the leader.
When the pace slackened 600m from home, Jordan set her charge alight and so quickly did he join the leader, the rider thought she may have exposed the gelded son of Zoffany too early.
But the apprentice need not have worried as High Maintenance kept finding in the home straight and won as he liked.
"I didn't want to lead because he has a tendency to get a bit lost in front, so we dropped into a nice spot off a reasonable tempo," Jordan said.
"I was swinging off him most of the time but when I had to switch off the heels of Judge Burns, we made our move at the 600m and at the top of the straight I thought I had hit the button early, but he just kept on finding because his fitness is spot-on."
Stevenson said the gelding can continue to race in benchmark 60-66 races over the trip and get in with not too much weight with Jordan's two-kilogram claim.
"He is probably in the right spot down here (Tasmania) at this time of the year, so I'm looking forward to seeing how far he can go, through the winter months."
Jordan made it wins in successive races when she outrode her rivals to win the Birdcage Tavern BM66 Handicap over 1880m aboard the Marion Dalco-trained Stinka.
Jordan had Stinka settled near the rear on the rails while the well-backed Rhode Away ($5.50) made play in front with Phenomenal Dancer ($3.80) and the favourite Videmanette ($2.50) content to sit third and one-off the rail with cover.
When Videmanette moved three-wide to challenge at the top of the home straight and looked set to forge clear, Jordan opted to take the shortest way home and scooted along the rails and went on to defeat the favourite by almost a length with Phenomenal Dancer a half-length astern.
Jordan made it three for the day when she protested successfully to win the last race of the day aboard Rising Hsiang that was edged out by stablemate Rhyme Writer (Ismail Toker) but stewards overturned the result owing to interference caused by the the first horse across the line.
