Winning Horse: Island Joy (Nz)

3yoF Hinchinbrook (Aus) - Spirit Of Joy (Aus)(Big Brown (USA))

9 starts - 2 wins 1 second 1 third 2 fourths $119675

Other Wins

1st Cranbourne Tab Long May We Play Mdn Plate 1000m (2020) (Debut Run)

Other Placings

3rd Ballarat Hygain Winners Choice (Bm64) 1200m (2020)

2nd Moonee Valley Sheamus Mills Bloodstock Hcp 1200m (2020)

Race Result:

1st: Island Joy (D Thornton/M Ellerton & S Zahra) - $18

2nd: Make Mine Hennessy (P Moloney/S Hasan) - $17
3rd: Lady D’Oro (M Allen/R Griffiths & M de Kock) - $10

Winning Time: 1:35.47 Last 600m: 34.92

Margins: 4¼L x Long Neck

Winning Trainer: Mat Ellerton & Simon Zahra (Simon speaking)

Simon says the horse’s performance last week cost him a $20,000 multi: “I wish she had’ve got out last week - it would have been a $20,000 result. But he (Thornton) rode her well today.

“We might have got her a bit wrong. She’d shown a lot of speed early in her career and we kept her to the 1000-1100 metres but we saw a bit of a glimpse at The Valley when we saw her out the back and hit the line. From thereon in we’ve looked to stretch her out.

“Travelled nicely and gee she had a good turn-of-foot and the mile suits her.”

What’s next: “We sent her out out to the farm after her third run when she was a fraction disappointing. She had a bit of a winter coat and then we just put a bit of weight on her and since we’ve done that she’s shown some glimpses of her old self.

“We’ll have a chat with Tim and First Light Racing and see what we do from hereon in.”

On beaten favourite Zac De Boss in Race 2: “He went good. He probably just didn’t show the tactical speed like he did the other day. He picked them up but he just did a lot wrong up the straight. Probably the back-up might have just got him and the 60-kilos.

“We were happy enough with him. Probably freshen him up and maybe have a look at something in February-March. We’ve always had (an opinion) but he just does a lot wrong.”

Winning Jockey: Damien Thornton

“She probably would have done that last week had we got out then. That’s racing. That’s the sport, you cop it with the good and the bad. I tell you what, I was having nightmares at the half-mile. I was in exactly the same spot with one three-wide outside me. I was going nowhere and the flashbacks weren’t good. We got out and got a bit of luck this week and that was the difference.

“I knew if we got luck that she was good enough to get herself out of that sticky spot. If she could do that at 1400 (metres) and run the mile out and have that same turn-of-foot she’s probably going to have a better one to get herself out of trouble. She won softly in the end so hopefully she can go on.”

Can she go further: “She may. It’s an unknown. A bit like last time going over the 1400 metres. She’s gone to a mile and won easily. She may get 2000 metres, who knows. You just take it as it comes, I suppose.”

Danny O’Brien’s rep Mark Chevalier on unplaced favourite White Hibiscus: “One of the barrier attendants grabbed her ears in the barrier just before the jump and she didn’t like it. She just stood in the gates when it happened. She was far back and around the turn she had nowhere to go so Damian (Lane) had to go around the field to ask for an early effort. She peaked on her run at the 200 metre mark and had nothing left at the end. We were still happy with the run. Just given too much to do today.”