Winning Horse: Parisian Dancer (Nz)

5yoM Reliable Man (GB) - Limbea (NZ)(Zabeel (NZ))

14 starts - 4 wins 4 seconds 1 third 3 fourths $142160

Other Wins

1st Ballarat Brandt (Bm64) 1600m (2022)

1st Warrnambool Sungold Milk (Bm64) 2000m (2021)

1st Ballarat Sportsbet Bet With Mates Mdn 1600m (2021)

Other Placings

3rd Sandown-Lakeside Ladbrokes Bet Ticker (Bm70) 1600m (2022)

2nd Flemington Tcl Tv (Bm70) 1700m (2021)

2nd Ballarat Hygain Winners Choice (Bm64) 1600m (2021)

2nd Donald Goodwin Village Donald Mdn 1624m (2021)

2nd Swan Hill Vale Col Lawry Mdn Plate 1600m (2021)

Race Result:

1st: Parisian Dancer (Archie Alexander/Declan Bates) - $9

2nd: Sky Horse (Michelle Payne/Celine Gaudray) - $4.40 fav
3rd: Pitchanun (Danny O’Brien/Craig Williams) - $5.50

Winning Time: 1:53.98 Last 600m: NA

Margins: Half-head x 3 Lengths

Winning Trainer: Archie Alexander

On the mare: “She’s a very, very tough mare, she’s never really let us down. She ran probably her best race ever on Oaks Day last year, she was just beaten, so she loves the track and I must say well done to our racing manager Jeremy (Rogers) He was very keen to get her on a flat track.

“We’ve been going around at Sandown a few times this winter (on) a very heavy, undulating track and we were keen to get her on a nice flat surface. Before today her best run was here on Oaks Day.

“It’s great for her own Pat Driscoll, who’s here, and it’s a terrific day for everyone.”

On whether she was fit enough to handle the conditions: “We knew we’d done enough work, she’d had a jumpout at Donald on Monday, she’d had a trial in between and she was supposed to run at Bendigo but the meeting was called off.

“So we’ve had her rock-hard fit ready to go but the races have never been there. We always had faith in her and she’s a great mare for us.”

On her winter preparation: “We always thought that; let’s be tough on her over the winter months when the ground’s like this, and we always thought her last run should be during Spring Carnival and then she can go to the paddock.

“Pat’s probably got an interesting one, whether he breeds from her or whether we go another year but she’s a mare in form.”

Winning Jockey: Declan Bates

On the conditions: “I’ve never been as happy to hear the rain on the roof before I went out for a race because we know she just relishes it. I was pretty happy.

On the way the race panned out: “It wasn’t really the plan to be that far back but she didn’t really have much early speed today for whatever reason and I didn’t want to bustle her so I just let her settle where she was comfortable and she can really pick up in this ground. It was a good job.”

“She quickened up very well at the top of the straight from where she was. I got to the leader quick enough and that last 100 metres she was just starting to tie-up, those exertions were just playing their bit. But she was too tough.”