Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
“She looks like she is back on track,” said a relieved part-owner, trainer and reinsman Shane Young after classy five-year-old mare Wonderful To Fly had produced an explosive finishing burst to come from the clouds to win the $25,000 Sky Racing Listen Live Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The victory in which she rated 1.56.1 has boosted Young’s confidence that she will be prominent in next Friday night’s $100,000 Barbagallo Norms Daughter Classic and the $150,000 Westral Mares Classic a fortnight later.
Wonderful To Fly went into Friday night’s event with a losing sequence of ten, including five unplaced efforts in her current campaign, and her victory as a $8.90 chance ended an eleven-month drought.
Wonderful To Fly began from the inside of the back line and she settled down in eighth position and was still eighth when Young finally was able to get her off the pegs and into the clear with 400m to travel.
The $2.35 favourite Hampton Banner was still in front after working hard for the first 350m to get past the polemarker Jaspervellabeach ($10) and into the lead after a fast lead time of 35.2sec.
Wonderful To Fly was switched four wide on the home bend and she sprouted wings to thunder home and win by a half-length from Hampton Banner and Cordero ($21) who ran home solidly to dead-heat for second.
“Her form didn’t look great,” said Young. “I think at her first couple of runs (in this preparation) we were caught out with her fitness. Two runs ago (when last behind Dominus Factum) I thought she didn’t go that badly when she got pushed off the track at the 600m.
“And then a fortnight ago she gave us a better guide (when fourth behind Steno). I have stepped up her work and leading into tonight’s race she has worked as good as she has ever worked. We just had to wait and see if she brought this to the racetrack.
“I was thinking if she had an ounce of luck tonight, she would race well. And if she is right and they go hard in the big races to come she can be dangerous.”
Wonderful Top Fly’s spectacular flying victory took her record to 61 starts for 31 wins, 15 placings and stakes of $760,074.