The decision by Pinjarra trainer-reinsman Shane Young to send Wonderful To Fly forward soon after the start of the $25,000 Westsired Pace for two-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night paid handsome dividends when she scored an impressive victory.
Wonderful To Fly, the second fancy at $2.20 from the outside of the back line, settled down in seventh position before Young decided to make his forward thrust 400m after the start and move into the breeze outside the pacemaker and $2.15 favourite Extraordinary Mary.
Wonderful To Fly, who is prone to overracing, settled quite well in the breeze before she dashed to the front 550m from home and went on to win by a length from $34 chance Bonstar.
“She got a bit keen, so I let her stride forward,” said Young. “Going to the breeze left her a bit susceptible, but I still thought she could sit outside Extraordinary Mary and beat her.”
His judgment proved spot on, and Extraordinary Mary disappointed in fading to finish seventh.
“Wonderful To Fly will now run in the $100,000 Westbred Classic next Friday night,” said Young, who races the filly in partnership with his daughter Alison and several stable clients.
Wonderful To Fly is by Fly Like An Eagle and is out of the unraced Allamerican Ingot mare Not Now Delilah, whose dam Queen Delilah raced 66 times for ten wins, 24 placings and $66,421 in prizemoney. Queen Delilah produced six winners, including Jumbo Operator, who earned $313,175 from 24 wins and nine placings from 43 starts.
by Ken Casellas