MORNINGTON based training partnership of Pat Carey and Harris Walker made the long trek worthwhile after a smart win with their promising mare Aberlutely at Sandilong Park on Saturday.
Aberlutely was confidently ridden by Jack Hill who had the mare well positioned throughout and he made a move approaching the home turn. They raced to the lead in the home straight and his vigorous riding helped her to hold out Oh Lovey No for a smart win in a thrilling finish.
Joint trainer Walker was thrilled to have the lightly raced four-year-old Aberlutely bring up her first career win at her seventh race start and it was the first win he has achieved at the Mildura circuit.
“The mare appreciated running over further ground as she is bred to get over 2000m and more. Her previous runs had been secretly good which gave me a lot of confidence leading up to the race,” Walker said.
“I am grateful to the owners who have let us give her a bit of time to furnish and things are starting to click with her now. It was good to win for Clay Hero Racing who bred the mare, as well as the other patient owners.”
Walker had been keen to forge a career as a trainer after starting out at the Colin Little stable as a 12-year-old.
“I did odd jobs and slowly learnt on the job with Colin and then had four or so years at Lindsay Park with the Hayes team as travelling foreman and then came to the Peninsula. This is our third season in the training partnership with Pat (Carey),” Walker said.
“Our first win as a partnership was with Starlight Scope at Flemington (August 2023), so it was great to get off to a winning start with a city win.”
Walker, who has travelled with horses to Brisbane, Sydney and across the globe to Europe, said going to Mildura was the longest trip he had done floating a horse by car.
“It was worthwhile to get the win (with Aberlutely) and it is good to travel anywhere to get a win. It won’t be the last trip I do to Mildura. I may even come back to the meeting there next month as Aberlutely is suited to the big spacious track and she prefers to run on good-rated tracks,” he said.
Walker’s partner Makisha Salter also had a successful day after the apprentice jockey recorded her 25th career win aboard the Swan Hill galloper Calm Down Sheriff in the Mallee Big Screen Hire Maiden Plate.
It was a terrific ride by Salter, who had the five-year-old positioned mid-field on the fence and she stayed on the running rail prior to gaining a clear run early in the home straight and they raced away for a comfortable 2.75-length win.
“The talk was that the rail position was off, but I said watch this,” Salter said.
Salter, who brought up her first win at King Island in January 2023, has endured a tough time during her career after being plagued by injury.
“I had 12 months off with a broken leg, six months out with a broken ankle and a few months with a broken sternum. I have also had two concussions and all of this has happened over a four-to-five-year period, so it has been very challenging,” Salter said.
Salter was introduced into the thoroughbred racing industry by her mum, and she rode her first horse in trackwork as a 14-year-old.
“I moved over to Victoria from Adelaide to start my Victorian apprenticeship,” she said. “I started with the Amy and Ash Yargi stable and I was there for six years and then had a six-month stint with Nathan Hobson.
“I am currently with the Jason Warren stable (at Mornington) and I love it there as Jason gives me a lot of confidence.”
It was fitting that Salter recorded the Mildura win for trainer Nathan Hobson as she has had the most rides for the stable so far during her riding career.
Murray Bridge trainer Sarah Rutten continued her success with tried horses joining her stable after Revolution Belle recorded a fast-finishing victory in the Ausloans Mildura 0-58 Handicap at the six-year-old’s first run for the stable when ridden by Milos Bunjevac.
“Last season was a good year for our stable as it was our first full season of training and we have increased our team to 35 horses in work. I am grateful for having a lot of support from good owners and we are having a lot of success with tried horses joining our stable,” Rutten said.
The locally trained horses who raced well at the meeting were the second placed horses Rasputina (trainer Kevin Adcock), Alaskan Storm (Raharna McDonald), Zeamaize (Kylie Vella) and Puissy Galore who finished third for the Cindy Brander stable.
They are all knocking on the door for an upcoming win on their handy efforts on Saturday.
The riding honours for the meeting was shared by Jack Hill and Neil Farley, who both rode winning doubles on the seven-race program.
The next bet365 Mildura race meeting will be held on Saturday, September 6.
