Fittingly in the week of International Women’s Day, women jockey and a pair of fillies featured with winning and riding honours on Queensland’s premier day for QTIS racing with the running of the 2yo and 3yo Jewel events.
The QTIS Jewel 2yo (1200m) saw an army of ‘Mishani’ runners for trainer Les Ross dominate the field with Mishani Aloha ($8) outstaying its rivals in the $500,000 event.
Training predominantly for owner Mike Crooks whose horses all run with the Mishani moniker and targets QTIS events, Ross favoured third placed Mishani Lily ($4.60 equal bookmaker favourite) though it would be Samantha Collett on Mishani Aloha prevailing.
The filly by Kobayashi was bought for $4,000 at the Gold Coast National Sale last May and this rich win takes her prizemoney collected to over $450,000 across six runs since October.
Her last outing was a seventh placing in the Magic Millions 2yo Classic (1200m) at Gold Coast in January.
“It’s pretty wild but his horses are always fit and tough when they need to be,” Collett said.
“When the QTIS money is on, they always turn up and the horses are so well educated.”
The Matt Hoysted and Steven O’Dea-trained Party For Two ($5) took on Group 1 Blue Diamond aspirants twelve months ago but the Queensland filly was at her sprinting best in the $500,000 QTIS Jewel 3yo (1200).
Nikita Beriman rode Party For Two in that Melbourne campaign but was later replaced as her regular rider.
Reuniting this time, Beriman steered the daughter of Side Step to victory by a nose over the John Smerdon-trained Kesalul ($17) with Red Defcon ($61).
Beriman took advantage of the leader-favouring pattern of the day.
“I’ve been in the game a long time, so even though I was a little surprised to get the call up the wheel often turns pretty quickly in racing,” Beriman said.
“I didn’t get bitter or annoyed about it (losing the ride).
“That’s just racing, you can’t take it personally and you have to get on with it. The only time you should be angry is when you put in a bad ride, but today was a pretty good one.”
Women jockeys own six of the ten races on the Jewel card.
