An excellent win today by Daintree Diva, showing off her new found staying ability in the THE BOB RUSSELL RONA PUNTER CLASS 2 HANDICAP over 1640M at Doomben on a soft 5 track..
Ridden expertly by Jaden Lloyd, the 4yo daughter of Vancouver was able to zoom down the outside late and drop on the pack to claim a small but impressive victory. This was quite foreign to her previous races, where she had shown that she liked to lead and assert her authority from the front.
However the team knew this was not sustainable as she stepped up in grade and distance so it was necessary to get her to relax more and show that strength at the end of her races.
Jaden gave her every chance to do so, easing her to a comfortable and relaxed position, and not panicking when the leaders dropped the tempo. Giving her clean air once they straightened, she built up her momentum and claimed the leaders late for a great victory in the time of 1:39.79 with the last 600m in 0:35.78.
The win was her 3rd from 16 starts, and took her earnings to $74K.
A good group of owners were on track, and celebrated the win in style, as you do when you have backed her at the lovely odds of $20!
Hopefully it is the start of a good week for the Esprit Racing team with the Magic Millions carnival and some strong chances during the week.
Congratulations all!
