A trip to Melbourne could prove the catalyst for smart mare Traveston Girl to dominate 1600m stakes races during the Queensland summer carnival.
Traveston Girl ($4.20) showed the benefit of her recent trip south with a tough win in the Listed Recognition Stakes (1600m), the first leg of the Brisbane summer mile treble, at Doomben.
Traveston Girl – Recognition Stakes
She led all the way to beat Shotover River ($21) by 1-1/2 lengths with a half neck to Blue Lion ($9).
Traveston Girl ran second in the Group One Thousand Guineas last year but was dogged by bad barriers in Brisbane during the winter carnival.
“I felt she really needed the trip to Melbourne on Cup day when she ran a mighty race. She has pleased me since she got home and she showed that today,” trainer Tony Gollan said.
Traveston Girl will be set for the Brisbane Handicap (1600m), Bernborough Handicap (1600m) and the Magic Millions Trophy (1800m) over the next two months.
“I have always felt she would run a strong 2000 metres but we will stick at 1600 metres until we step her up for the Magic Millions Trophy,” Gollan said.
Gollan was also thrilled with the run of Best Of The Rest who came from last to finish fourth.
“I would like to see him in one of these 1600-metre races from a good barrier,” he said.
Jockey Tegan Harrison rode a daring race on Traveston Girl and said the mare was always travelling like a winner.
Harrison didn’t get all the family glory on Saturday as her partner, trainer Ben Hull, had his first Saturday metropolitan winner with Red Letter Day in the Winning Edge Presentation Handicap.
“He ran fifth in a Listed race at Flemington earlier in his career so he was well placed here,” Hull said.
Owner Julia Simmons admitted she had a new favourite horse after Mr Favulous won his 12th race in the AG Designer Open Handicap (1050m).
“I owned and trained In Top Swing which won the 1986 Queensland Cup but this horse is now my favourite, he has been great for us,” she said.
