Graceful Ellen showed a real tough streak when slugging it out with Crusader Kings in a punishing run to the line to take the honours in the Evergreen Turf Southern Country Championships Wild Card over 1400m at Goulburn.
Sixteen runners with hopeful connections faced the starter for this Wild Card race, which was the last opportunity for runners to qualify for a place in the lineup for the lucrative $1 million Country Championship final at Randwick on April 4.
The betting suggested it would be a ‘no contest’, with Autumn Break dominating that particular side of proceedings at the prohibitive odds of $1.80, but that turned into a horror show for the followers of the favourite when Autumn Break was shuffled back in the approach to the home turn, leaving him not only out of his ground, but trapped behind a wall of horses with nowhere to go early in the home straight.
By the time he did get out, even when showing a nice touch of acceleration, the race win was already beyond his grasp.
That option was still very much on the table for Grateful Ellen and Crusader Kings … who jumped at a starting price of $31 and $21 respectively … as these two runners joined issue at the head of affairs with 180m left to run.
Crusader Kings had got first run on his rival, but Grateful Ellen, who apprentice Clare Ramsbotham had scraping paint along the inside running rail all the way down the home straight, began to loom ominously on the inside of Crusader Kings.
These two runners were still locked together coming through the 100m mark, but Graceful Ellen then began to gain the ascendancy, edging to a narrow advantage which she maintained to the line to win by 0.25 lengths.
Trained by Barbara Joseph and Paul and Matt Jones, that committed effort gave Graceful Ellen both the biggest and the most important win of her career … and also notched up a career highlight for Ramsbotham.
“They just went so quick early and she didn’t have the speed to be there,” said Ramsbotham, explaining Graceful Ellen’s midfield position in the first half of the race.
“The gaps were there and I was able to get on the fence and follow the horse I wanted to follow. I knew he would take me into the race.
“I was a little worried at the top of the straight. No-one was going anywhere … and I was on heels and she is the type of horse that just wants to keep rolling.
“I didn’t quite get that, and then the gaps appeared again and she was really nice and strong late.
“It’s the fifth time I have won on her now, so we’ve got a good connection going.”
