Tegan Harrison says she’s got her mojo back.
At Doomben on Saturday, Harrison scored a winning treble in consecutive races aboard Rocket To Glory, Treasure Map and Epic Terra on a day when apprentices won five of the eight races.
Harrison took a self-imposed break from racing during the winter for personal reasons and felt her timing was off when she made her comeback.
“Everything I was doing was a half second too late but in the past couple of weeks I feel like I’ve got that fine tuned a bit better,” she said.
Harrison took Epic Terra, the $2.50 favourite, to the front soon after the start of the Hanrick Curren Accountants Handicap (1600m) and ran out a comfortable winner by 3-1/4 lengths.
Epic Terra’s trainer Matthew Dunn believes Harrison has the key to the gelding, winning four races aboard the five-year-old.
“Horses like Epic Terra naturally run for her,” he said. They all fly the lids and race lot closer than they do for other riders and that’s just a natural gift Tegan has,” Dunn said.
Harrison also led throughout aboard the $2.10 favourite Rocket To Glory in the Rohrig Group Handicap (1010m) with apprentice riders filling the first five placings.
Trainer Tony Gollan believes the prolonged spell of dry weather has enabled Rocket To Glory to produce his best form.
“While the tracks stay a good three he’s going to be competitive in anything he runs in,” Gollan said.
Harrison said Rocket To Glory had his rivals covered from the outset.
“He flew out of the gates and that’s where he wins his races,” she said.
“He travelled comfortably at a nice tempo and when you give him a squeeze he really accelerates.”
While Epic Terra and Rocket To Glory were all-the-way winners for Harrison, she brought Treasure Map with a well-timed finish to win the Ambush Security Handicap (1600m) by a half-head from Tornado Miss.
Bodega Negra’s jockey Kelvin Wharton was suspended for careless riding for causing Will’s Choice to be checked in the straight.
Wharton’s suspension starts after next Saturday’s meeting at Eagle Farm.
He will resume at the Sunshine Coast night meeting on October 5.
