Pomelo produces powerful run to win Provincial Championships heat
POMELO has burst into calculations for the Provincial Championships final next month with a dominant win in her qualifier of the $400,000 series on Saturday at Rosehill.
The heat, which was originally scheduled for Wyong on Wednesday, was moved to Rosehill when the Wyong meeting was abandoned during the week.
However, despite having never raced at the track or on a heavy surface, Pomelo gave nothing else a chance when scoring by two-and-a-half lengths on the line.
Stepping from barrier nine, the Gwenda Markwell-trained mare pushed up to go to the front in the early stages and dictated the remainder of the event from that point onwards.
In the home straight the daughter of Lop De Vega and Tennessee Mischief found another gear, drawing clear to defeat Heavenly Anna and Dream Lane, both of which will also progress through to the feature on April 8 at Randwick.
Jockey Chad Lever, who has now steered Pomelo to three straight wins, was full of praise for the four-year-old which has now won four of her seven starts with an additional three minor placings.
“She is a nice [horse] in the making and she keeps stepping up,” Lever said.
“Gwenda has done a wonderful job with her – many thanks to her and the owners for keeping me on.
“She is pretty brilliant on top [of the track] but she gets through it just as well which is always helpful.”
Now looking ahead to the final, Markwell gave her charge a genuine winning chance in the feature.
“She is a very good mare and will be right in it in the final,” Markwell said.
“They let me give her a gallop on the course proper at Kembla after Gosford was called off which was a big help.”