Brilliant mare Broadways Best broke Kilmore's 1690m track record in today's Popular Alm Sprint
Gifted Gisborne speed machine Broadways Best has overcome a sensation at the start to claim the $20,000 Seelite Windows & Doors Popular Alm Sprint in breathtaking, track record fashion.
Able to avoid the early carnage caused when race favourite Decorated Jasper ($3) broke up soon after the start, Shannon McLean’s versatile daughter of Village Jasper simply schooled a quality list of combatants to claim Kilmore’s 1690-metre short course feature.
Already considered Australia’s finest female pacer by many, courtesy of her stunning Ladyship Mile triumph last term, the sizzling 6YO only enhanced her reputation with the devastating victory ahead of a campaign aimed at Miracle Mile glory in five weeks time.
“My head’s still spinning – but winners are grinners so I’m a pretty happy man,” McLean said after the victory.
“My heart was in my throat early on and then even where we were in the run, but that’s the way she likes it; chasing them down like that. And to win in track record time, we’re just stoked."
Settling marginally beyond midfield through a lead time and first fraction of 5.6 and 28 seconds respectively, Broadways Best won the early battle with fellow second row superstar Melpark Major by landing one horse clear of that Vic Cup king in transit.
Happy to play the waiting game while veteran polemarker Ti Vogliobene led the 11-strong field through a slower second section of 30.4, Chris Alford set his star mare alight coming off Kilmore's sweeping back straight with Melpark Major strapped hard to their back as the sprint went on in earnest.
Peeling off a penultimate section of 28.8 the FFA field fanned into the lane but it was clear on straightening the class runners from the rear would fight out the finish.
Hitting the top with 50 metres to run, Broadways Best looked vulnerable for a moment, but proved her class; holding dual Popular Alm champion Melpark Major by 1.2 metres and announcing herself a major player for the Grand Circuit season ahead in the process.
Early leader Ti Vogliobene finished third.
The final fraction of 28.2 completed a 1:55.2 mile rate that slashed one-tenth of a second off Jamestown’s nine year old track benchmark and further underlined the weaponry McLean hopes will take his star mare all the way to the top this term.
“The next stop is The Legends and then hopefully if we measure up there, a crack at the big boys in the Miracle Mile. Her second, third and fourth runs (in) are always her best, so we’re pretty excited that it’s all coming together nicely.”
Later in the program, perpetually underrated squaregaiter Gentle Image made it a hat-trick of wins when way too good for Danny Cash and co in the www.ascet.edu.au Kilmore Trotters Cup.
A brilliant frontrunner and Tatlow Stakes winner at two, Paul Watson’s evergreen son of Yentls Image led his rivals a merry dance to also claim a Kilmore track record; registering 2:04.2 for the 3150 metres and winning by a large space from Kasyanov and race favourite Danny Cash.
