3 minute read

Travimyfriend sailed down the outside to win The Sofitel at Flemington.

When the predicted rain failed to arrive ahead of Travimyfriend running in the $140,000 Listed The Sofitel (1400m) at Flemington, many punters discounted him as a winning prospect. 

With six of Travimyfriend's seven wins being on soft ground, the gelding was sent out a $21 chance. 

Trainer Rachael Frost however was not discounting Travimyfriend's chances claiming post-race the gelding's best performances in stakes races had come on good ground. 

Rain did begin to fall during The Sofitel having been expected earlier in the day. 

Coming from a rearwards position, Travimyfriend sailed down the outside under Dean Yendall to give Frost, who trains a small team at Mornington, her first Flemington victory. 

"We didn't need it in Mornington, it was pouring with rain and we thought we could get here and it might be called off," Frost said. 

"All of his stakes performances have been on good tracks but his wins haven't been, just as long as there's a bit of give in the ground." 

Yendall said a bump shortly after the start put Travimyfriend in a position he had never been in before. 

However, a strong tempo allowed Travimyfriend to balance up then post a strong finish to defeat the $2.20 favouritie Arcadia Queen by three-quarters-of-a-length. 

"He put the writing on the wall last time when he ran a good race against Showmanship," Yendall said. 

"I knew he wasn't hopeless but I'd hoped this bloody rain would have come earlier so it would have been a genuine soft for him, but he adapted to it pretty well."