Unheralded mare Arabian Rose has delivered Sunshine Coast trainer James Healy his first stakes win with a hometown victory in the Listed Glasshouse Handicap at Caloundra.
The mare was made third emergency when the final field was declared, and Healy endured an anxious wait before Arabian Rose squeezed into the race off the back of scratchings.
“It has been the plan for a long time and when the ‘noms’ came out, I thought we were absolutely ‘none’,” Healy said.
“But the stars aligned.
“The Glasshouse is staying home, and we’ll go again next year.”
The victory by Arabian Rose was equally special for jockey Tiffani Brooker, who was the mare’s regular rider early in her career before a self-confessed “bum steer” aboard the four-year-old at Caloundra in December last year.
But rather than sulk, Brooker put her head down and worked hard to get back in the saddle, her perseverance reaping the ultimate reward in Saturday’s Glasshouse Handicap (1400m).
“I had to sit on the sidelines for a little bit after a bum steer last preparation,” Brooker said.
“I had a bit of success on her early days, but I did my time, and I kept showing up.
“I thought at the end of the carnival, if she gets a light weight, I might be back on her, just keep showing up.
“James was a bit nervous before the race and I said, ‘don’t worry, I’ll give her her chance and if she’s good enough, she’ll win.”
Arabian Rose ($19) did just that, forging to the front in the straight and digging deep for Brooker to edge out Cifrado ($12), with Anemacore ($12) third in a driving finish where less than a half-length separated the first three horses across the line.
Arabian Rose caused a major upset for punters, returning $19 with leading Aussie betting sites, while Cifrado and Anemacore both started at $12 after attracting interest across betting apps Australia.
