Les Bridge has been training long enough to be called a veteran but even he admits he has been surprised by the way Avoid Lightning has adapted to his stable.
The former Adelaide mare made light of her 59kg topweight to claim the Listed June Stakes (1100m) on a wet Randwick track on Saturday to win her third race from five starts for Bridge.
She also ran second to Cosmic Endeavour in the Sapphire Stakes with the Gai Waterhouse-trained filly franking the form with her wins in the Scone Guineas and Saturday’s Dane Ripper Stakes at Eagle Farm.
Bridge will consider options including the Ramornie Handicap at the upcoming Grafton carnival for Avoid Lightning ($3.20 fav), who ran down Zaratone ($31) and drew away to win by 2-3/4 lengths.
“She just left them standing,” Bridge said.
“The short distances suit her and she raced like she was on top of the ground.
“She might just be a champion wet tracker, but I don’t care.
“We’ll have a look at what’s around for her now.”
Her jockey Tim Clark said Avoid Lightning defied her stature.
“She is not very big,” he said.
“But she is growing in confidence. She has a big heart and a big motor and the way she got through the ground was unbelievable.”
Bridge said the five-year-old might be small but had plenty of strength in her hindquarters.
“She has a wide backside and is a lot bigger than she looks at first glance,” he said.
The Randwick meeting provided a landmark for the new father and son training partnership of Peter and Paul Snowden who celebrated their first Saturday metropolitan win when Commanding Wit took out the TAB iPhone App Hcp (1200m).
Peter Snowden, the former head trainer for Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley Australia, said he was enjoying his new life, particularly in light of the recent deaths of jockey Nathan Berry and trainer Guy Walter.
“It’s a lot different but with the things that have happened lately, you need to enjoy life,” Snowden said.
“I’m really enjoying what I am doing now.”
