Four-year-old mare Fifty Five Reborn is reaping the rewards of a beneficial respite from racing and she chalked up her second win in the space of eight days when ace trainer Colin Brown drove her to an impressive victory over the $1.55 favourite Balcatherine in the 2130m Thank You McGrath Foundation Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“I think it is because we gave her four to five weeks off,” said Brown. “She has returned as a happy horse, and maybe she is maturing. She is relaxing in her races.”
Asked whether he was confident Fifty Five Reborn could beat the talented Balcatherine, Brown said: “With the advantage of the draw and the fact that this was Fifty Five Reborn’s fourth start after her spell, and that this was Balcatherine’s first start for a month, I thought we could beat her.
“But if we didn’t beat her tonight, we were never going to beat her. Balcatherine is a quality horse, whereas Fifty Five Reborn is a nice horse. There is definitely a difference in ability.”
Regarding Fifty Five Reborn’s prospects in feature events for mares, Brown said: “You can’t say no; she will just keep doing her thing, but she is never going to be one of those mares that everybody goes ‘wow.’ We just go wow every time she wins a race because we don’t expect what she produces.
“She is small but is very strong behind, being powerfully built in the hindquarters. She now has probably cemented a place in the breeding barn when she has finished racing, whenever that may be. Her mother (the unraced Bettors Delight mare Arma Fifty Five) went to a $1000 stallion (service fee) and I will want to be spending a bit more for her mating.”
Fifty Five Reborn has already earned $146,843 from 12 wins and four placings from 39 starts. She was second favourite at $4.80 on Friday night from barrier six. Brown drove aggressively and Fifty Five Reborn surged forward from the outset to take the lead 400m after the start. Balcatherine settled in last position before she dashed forward after a lap to race in the breeze. She fought on gamely but was beaten by five metres.
Written by Ken Casellas | Photo Credit: Hamilton Content Creators