Trish Dunell
Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh capped off a superb day’s work at Te Rapa on Saturday when exciting three-year-old filly Power Dream joined stablemate Santa Catarina on the winner’s list for the day.
Marsh produced Santa Catarina to win the day’s feature, the Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre 2YO Stakes (1100m) and then added a second win with Power Dream who led from go to whoa in the hands of Danielle Johnson.
Johnson had the Power filly travelling economically in front throughout the rating 65 1200m event before kicking her mount clear as they rounded the home turn. The well backed Short Fuse chased hard all the way down the Te Rapa straight but had to settle for second as Power Dream held out all challenges to win by a neck at the line.
Marsh, who had been frustrated by a string of minor placings by his stable runners in recent weeks, was in a joking mood as he praised the grit shown by his filly to hold out her pursuers.
“I‘m feeling a bit more back in the game with these winners,” he said.
“To be fair, at her last start it was trainer’s error as she probably wasn’t quite ready for that first up effort and she blew out in a very good field.
“We were trying to get her to the Cambridge Breeders Stakes and it may have been a good thing she didn’t get in to that race.”
Marsh was confident heading into Saturday’s event and was hoping the win would lift her connections spirits after the disappointment of her last run.
“She had trained brilliantly and she is a lovely filly,” he said.
“The owners were a little bit down in the mouth so hopefully they are happier now.
“Every race she has been in there have been some good ones around her. We took her to Ruakaka first-up and she ran into Embellish and Ever Loyal.”
Marsh indicated the $90,000 purchase from the Cambridge Stud draft at the 2016 Select Yearling Sale at Karaka would look to add to her Te Rapa record when she returns for a three-year-old 1200m contest in a fortnight. – NZ Racing Desk
Power Dream leads all the way at Te Rapa