Right race the secret for Pink Chaperone
IT might have been just the second win from 66 starts for six-year-old Pink Chaperone at Lismore on Saturday, but the horse’s trainer Lyn Paton believes the mare’s less than stellar record belies the horse’s talent.
Pink Chaperone had been a bit of a money burner for punters after 18 placings that included just one win, but the half-head winning margin on Saturday showcased the $16 chance’s ability to salute if presented with the right race.
Who could possibly be backing Pink Chaperone again?
— Shane Ciurleo (@ToowoombaTips) January 20, 2017
Pink Chaperone finished ahead of fellow long-shot Jeewan ($3.30 at Sportsbet.com.au) and We’re All Ears, which rounded out the placings and returned $2.20 at Topbetta.com.au.
Paton joked she was just about ready to give up on her mare prior to today’s win.
“I was just about ready to give her away if she couldn’t do something in that field,” Paton told HorseBetting.com.au.
“I was dead-set ready to give up.”
The win on Saturday at Lismore is indicative of what the veteran mare can achieve if given the opportunity, and Paton believes Pink Chaperone has much more racing ability than what her record would suggest.
“She’s always battling and she’s sometimes tied up in her work and it’s something we always have to deal with,” the trainer elaborated.
“If she doesn’t tie up she’s a fair sort of a horse, but nine out of 10 times she’s tying up.”
It was just the second time the mare had ran at Lismore this year following a disappointing sixth in February in a nine runner field, but Paton said Saturday offered the perfect opportunity to register win number two.
“We thought she was traveling pretty well into this one, and in this sort of field we were quietly confident.
“She was fairly good coming in, she looked spot on and we thought it was a race she could take out.”
After near misses, long defeats and everything in between the formula may be now unlocked for the daughter of High Chaparral.
Paton now believes she has a fair idea of what races will suit the six-year-old.
“She is a good little distance mare,” she said.
“We’ve just got to find the right races and the speed has got to be on. That’s because she does like to get back towards the tail of the field and the races have got to be run to suit for her to take them out.
“I think that’s what happened today, the pace was on and once she was steered to the outside fence to get that clear run it only took two or three clear bounds and she got there.”