Timely Downpour a Blessing for Beth

A mid-meeting downpour came just in time to help the promising Yellowstone Beth to a big first-up win at Cluden Park yesterday.

The Lindsay Hatch trained filly relished the soft 7 track downgrade and came with a brilliant finishing burst to win the 3yo QTIS Hcp (1000m) on a day when leaders won the first five races.

The Territories filly, racing in the Ares Racing syndicate colours, defied an alarming betting drift from 8s to 20s and surprised even her connections.

Ares manager John Horan is hopeful the filly can measure up to carnival class.

“The downpour definitely helped her. We hadn’t tried her in the wet before but obviously the Territories get the wet – she showed an amazing turn of foot,” Horan said.

“She had a really good spell. What we’ve seen with the horses that have come up from down south is that they seem to a leg in the second prep In the heat.

“She showed us a lot of promise in Toowoomba early on. She won a barrier trial down there by 10 and won at Gatton really well.

“The horses that beat her next start were city winners so we knew she had something.

“But when she came up here for the carnival she just wasn’t at her best. But she spelled really well and onwards and upwards after today.”

Normally a leader, Yellowstone Beth has now won two of her nine starts and turned her proven racing pattern on its head with yesterday’s win from second last with in-form jockey Adrian Layt aboard.

Meanwhile, Demon Award returned to winning form in the Ladbrokes Open Hcp (1400m) but is still proving a headache for trainer Les Gordy with his racing habits.

Beaten after racing fiercely at his previous start, Demon Award fired up in front once again but jockey Adam Sewell was able to eventually settle the four-year-old before kicking strongly to win.

“If he can ever put it all together he’ll be a very good horse,” Gordy said.

“Last start he got it in his head that he wanted to tear off in front. He hasn’t done anything like that before.

“I took the blinkers off today to get him to relax and he was alright in the first furlong, but he got fired up again when Miss Seattle pushed him early.

“I was worried when he took off out there but Adam did a great job to get him to slowly come back underneath him.

“There’s a class 6 plate with set weights over 1400m coming up and he’ll have 60kg, but he can’t be doing that.”

Leading trainer Georgie Holt claimed another winning double, this time with two-year-old Dance For Me Randy and later with slick sprinter Hurtle.

Pictured: Yellowstone Beth comes over the top with a burst of speed to claim victory in yesterday's Georgie Holt Trainer of the Year 22/23 QTIS 3YO Handicap (1200m) at Cluden Park.

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