3 minute read

Trainer and jockey quotes following the Inglis Sprint won by Estriella at Flemington on Saturday.

Race Result:

1st: Estriella (B Shinn/C Maher) - $3.20 fav
2nd: Robrick (B Melham/M Price & M Kent Jnr) - $17
3rd: Caballus (J Parr/B Baker) - $3.50

Winning Time: 1:10.10 Last 600m: N/A

Margins: 3/4 lengths x 1 length

Estriella is a special horse

The daughter of I Am Invincible went to the front & held on bravely for the big prize @cmaherracing @blake_shinn pic.twitter.com/IbmtmIowZG

— Racing.com (@Racing) March 2, 2024

Winning Trainer: Ciaron Maher

On the filly: "She is special. I was very mindful going out, I said to Blake just have her where she's comfortable, I said that last start and there was a tendency to think she'd back in the field but I said just ride her where she's comfortable, she's a very very good filly, Kevin Payne has a knack of finding a good one and it's fantastic that she's in our stable, Blake summed it up very well, he backed the horse, he knows how good she is and it's phenomenal, I think she ticked off the women's bonus as well."

Owners being rewarded: "He does. Fantastic. He's a great supporter, just loves racing, puts a lot into it, time, energy and thought, I'd say there's a lot of sleepless nights, he was very keen to come to this race Kevin and I couldn't see any reason not to, the team have done a fantastic job, this filly, her action wasn't quite there last prep, they had to manage her, she went to our beach facility up in Sydney, she raced well, she probably went off a fraction towards the end, I said to Kevin- put her away, she'll be very good and thankfully he's getting rewarded now."

Winning Jockey: Blake Shinn

Continues to improve: "Different contrast, just believed in the horse and really top class filly this in the making, full credit to Kevin Payne the owner and also Ciaron Maher and his team for just developing her and taking their time with her, it's not an easy filly and a simple filly just to train because she just wants to please you a bit too much, you've got to harness her back a little bit and just try and coax her to come your way a bit more and she's slowly learning, great win, owned it from the front and was super strong. Just great to ride another win for Kevin Payne, Vicki, Ciaron Maher and the team and yeah, really really special."

How the race unfolded: "I said to Kevin Payne and Ciaron, we didn't know where she was going to be, first, tenth, fifteenth, it was just a matter of letting her relax, getting her comfortable and trusting her that we were on the best horse in the race but we just had to get it right and she was great. She really relaxed well, after a furlong I was very confident and she's destined for far greater things and this is another stepping stone and worth a lot of money so it's very special."