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Gutsy filly Hello Michelle showed she has improved by leaps and bounds after she came off a sticky spot to score with great determination in the $60,000 Class 4 Division 1 race over 1100m on Friday night.
Swinging for home, the Minstrel Court three-year-old was not really travelling like an odds-on $9 favourite, spotting Rainbow Royal (A’Isisuhairi Kasim), who was looking a good thing then, about eight lengths. Neither was she flattening as expected - a far cry from the cushier journey she enjoyed at her last-start win when she sat off the lead and just sprinted up the straight for an easy win.
But as soon as jockey Alan Munro started to scrub her up, hopes were rekindled in the hotpot’s camp. The margin melted away in no time as she bore down on the leader with a relentless gallop, levelling up close home to go and score by half-a-length from Rainbow Royal.
Red Ant (John Sundradas) ran third another gap of 2 ½ lengths away. The winning time was 1min 5.37secs for the 1100m on the Polytrack.With trainer Mark Walker not around to lead in the Synthetic Stable-owned filly to her third win, it was assistant-trainer Gus Clutterbuck who did the honours.
“She was a lot quicker out of the gates when she drew out the last time. She was drawn better tonight, but she was quite slow,” said Clutterbuck.
“She’s not the best beginner but she’s done a great job to win tonight. And for her to win three races when she’s only a three-year-old is pretty amazing. It was a very brave effort.”
Munro said he was a little concerned when Hello Michelle did not show any dash upon despatch, but the further they went, the more she started to gather momentum.
“She had no speed tonight. I’m not sure what it is because she was a lot quicker at her last run,” said the English jockey.
“But she showed a very good kick when she went after the leader in the straight. She chased him down really well.”
A winner of one Leg of the Singapore Golden Horseshoe series as a two-year-old, Hello Michelle has now taken her handy record to three wins and one third from eight starts for stakes money in excess of $130,000 for her connections.