A rare off-season raid by one of Sydney’s most astute trainers paid handsome dividends when Delzera stole a fillies and mares race from under the noses of the locals at Flemington.
Guy Walter is a regular visitor to Melbourne’s spring carnivals where he has raced many of his top-line runners with success.
But his mid-winter excursion with Delzera failed to ring too many alarm bells with the mare easy in the betting at $6.50.
The lack of interest, though, had no bearing on the result as Delzera took the lead soon after the start and was never headed.
Although she raced keenly, jockey Jake Duffy had something in hand at the 400m and allowed Delzera to stride clear and set up a winning break which she maintained to the line.
Delzera scored by a length from Tranquera ($4.80) with a short half-head to Orlando’s Bride ($9) in third place.
While his horse was winning at Flemington, Walter was at home at Warwick Farm, the raceday duties being performed by local trainer Tom Hughes jnr.
“I think Guy must have been looking for the right race for a while,” Hughes said.
“He must have told me half a dozen times he thought she was very well placed here today.”
Like many of Walter’s winners, Delzera is from a family with which her trainer is familiar.
He trained her mother Delphine who was raced and bred by Delzera’s part-owner George Young.
“We won six races with her mother so it’s great to keep things going with a nice mare like this,” Young said.
“She got the right race on the right track today and she appreciated it.”