Patience is an acknowledged virtue in racing, hard as it is to embrace. However, the owners of AFFECTIONATE were finally rewarded in the 1600m Maiden at the Sunshine Coast Sunday when the mare broke her duck in style.
Settling rearward from a wide gate, the SEBRING 4yo sustained a long run to circle the field and score by more than a length on the line under another inspired ride from in-form stable apprentice Emily Lang. The win was made more impressive by the 3.3 length margin back to the third placegetter.
There hadn’t been a lot to get excited about in AFFECTIONATE’s seven previous race starts. Indeed her first placing wasn’t until a similar race at the same track on July 23 which was the first real sign that she may have a future.
Affectionate shakes her maiden today over the 1600m!
Emily Lang taking the reins for the @ODeaHoysted yard and @ProvenTbreds. pic.twitter.com/14MPQNnFyC
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) August 13, 2023
“All she wants to do is relax in the run and is clean winded so we think she’ll get further,” said co-trainer Matt Hoysted.
“There are a couple of 1800m options for her early next month which we’ll likely target.”
AFFECTIONATE recorded the first victory of the season in the Proven colours, ending a forgettable week. Another potentially handy 4YO, CREWMAN tragically collapsed and died of a heart attack at Warwick Farm trackwork on Wednesday after racing well at Goulburn only 48 hours earlier. The highs and lows of racing, never more profoundly exemplified.