Sydney raider Satono Glow thrived in the damp surface conditions to claim a commanding victory at Flemington.
The Group 3 Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes (1200m) held on Saturday was anticipated to boil down to a duel between hot favourite Gin Twist at $2.10 and Jadzia at $3.10.
Each of these fillies possessed prior runs along the Flemington straight, a factor that typically benefits them in subsequent outings there.
However, the uncertainty revolved around the heavy going caused by overnight rain and further showers on race day.
This turned out to be pivotal, with Satono Glow at $4.20 powering to a three-length success ridden by Jamie Melham ahead of Salann at $41, while Gin Twist was a nose back in third place.
Jadzia, who had vied for the lead alongside Gin Twist, faded to take fifth spot, eight lengths adrift of the winner.
Heading into the race on Saturday, Melham was upbeat about Satono Glow’s prospects of defeating her better-backed opponents, given her affinity for yielding ground evident in her initial triumph at Warwick Farm on March 11.
“I was confident but with fillies down the straight for the first time, you don’t want to leave it too late because they can promise the world and then get lost,” Melham said.
“Credit to the team educating this little filly. She was a bombproof ride today and I feel that the Sydney horses normally go well in the wet as they are used to being trained on the softer tracks up there.
“She loved the wet today and the way she got through it, this horse was a very easy ride in the end.
“Her attitude really impressed me. She’s a small horse to the eye but the feel she gave me, she felt like she had a really big stride underneath her and she settled like she will get further in time.”
Jade Lys, standing in for trainers John O’Shea and Tom Charlton, indicated uncertainty regarding the filly’s next moves, though a return to Sydney seems probable, possibly targeting an event amid The Championships.
“We couldn’t have been happier with her since her last start,” Lys said.
“She won in the soft last start, so we were not worried about the rain today.”
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