After knocking at the door her previous three attempts, Thats Not My Gait broke through for her first win since returning to WA in mid-April, with her usual driver on board, Aiden De Campo.
Bred, owned and trained by David Young, the pacing bred five-year-old had a consistent career in Victoria, where she had 38 starts for seven wins and 11 placings in the capable hands of Alison and Chris Alford, before they all decided that 'Audrey' should head home to the west to try her hoof in the square trotter's races in WA.
After a last start second in the Trotters Cup feature at Pinjarra last week behind impressive type in Bromwich, Young would have been confident going into this week's race with just six other contenders in the opening event at Pinjarra, a slightly easier contest for the consistent mare.
Two-year-old On The Back Foot gave stallion Lazarus NZ his fifth winner from his first season crop of foals in race two at Pinjarra. Purchased at the 2022 Yearling sales, the then colt was the second last lot in the sale, purchased for $40,000, just one of two Lazarus NZ foals offered in the APG Sales that year. Having just his third start in a race, he came off a last start second at Pinjarra just the week earlier.
The win gave Gary Hall Jnr the first of three victorious steers on the day.
New Zealand import Easton Quality NZ brought up her first win in WA following in similar fashion as the previous two winners on the day with a last start second the week prior at Pinjarra. Trained by Bob Mellsop and driven by Deni Roberts, the four-year-old has had just the six starts, but Mellsop is under the impression that circumstances of life is what got in the way of her racing in New Zealand.
"If they were waiting for her to grow it didn't work,
"She got thrown in the paddock, there's certainly nothing wrong with her,
"I think she has ability, but I don't think she's a superstar." Bob Mellsop said.
Michael Young celebrated a training double on the day, with Watching Our Coin NZ continuing his good form in the west, with the five-year-old bringing up third win in just six starts since heading to Young's stable. With a narrow margin on the line, Gary Hall Jnr worked his way three wide in the early stages, to tough it out in the breeze, coming out on top by a head over the 1684m in a winning mile rate of 1:55:7 in race five.
Maddison Brown may have gone down narrowly in the previous event, but in race six, the Colin Brown runners, Arma Xfactor and American Arma. With Maddison on the favourite, she came out on top over her Dad, with the $1.10 shot Arma Xfactor making it two in a row for the pair after leading all the way.
Kim Prentice was on fire on Friday night, with three winners between Wagin and Gloucester Park, and on Monday his winning ways continued with Verano taking out race seven, the standing start for Mitchell Miller. Starting off the front-line handicap over the 2116m trip, the five-year-old stepped safely and after settling behind the leader throughout, Verano took the lead with 200m to go, winning by 5.6m in 2:00:5.
Mitchell Miller drove a race to race double, with Ashima taking out race eight on the card for his dad, Daryl Miller. At $19 odds, the seven-year-old mare brought up just her second career win and broke a whopping 131 start losing sequence. Ashima, who has been knocking on the door at her previous two attempts took out the penultimate event, coming out on top over the race favourite with a 2.3m margin in 2:05:3.
Maddison Brown was back in the winner's circle, with the Colin Brown trained Rocknroll Spirit taking out the last on the card. Breaking through for his maiden win at his seventh start in a race, the $1.80 favourite worked forward to the lead, going on to win by 1.4m in 1:58:5 over the 1684m trip.
