This season has been a little drawn out for one leading three-year-old filly, but connections are optimistic further success is just around the corner.
Dancingwithsierra will be among the many chasing silver and bronze at Tabcorp Park Melton tomorrow, when the Empire Stallions Vicbred Super Series concludes with the silver and bronze pacing races.
Trainer Gary Hoban remains adamant his three-year-old filly, Dancingwithsierra, is top shelf, providing she gets a little luck before and during the race.
Unfortunately for the Tasmanian Oaks winner and her connections that luck of the draw has seemed all too fleeting.
“It is disappointing from an owner and trainers point of view that when she gets into big races she never draws a barrier,” Hoban said.
That frustration was renewed when Dancingwithsierra drew barrier 12th for the Empire Stallions Vicbred Super Series semi-final and ran eighth, having been unable to make an impression on the leaders who had rolled along comfortably.
“When (driver) Chris (Alford) jumped on her in the semi we had to hope for speed on up front,” Hoban said. “When he came off he said with a lead time of (45.3) and a 63-second first half of the mile they ran home in (55.2) and from the back, how could she get into it?
“For the Victoria Oaks she drew barrier 12, for the Breeders Crown she drew 10 and then she drew 12 in the Vicbred semi-final. In today’s racing there is probably not a lot between first and last ability wise and if she doesn’t draw well it is hard to make up that 20m on the others.
“When she draws a barrier, like in the Tassie Oaks, she has shown what she can do. When she draws in the first three or four she finishes there.”
Poor random draws are not an uncommon complaint, begging the question in Dancingwithsierra’s case, does it stack up?
In 21 starts her average draw is 6.52 in an average field size of 9.48. Well below par, and makes all the more notable that her average finishing position is 3.05.
And to Hoban’s point the bigger the stakes the worse her draw? In races with stakes of more than $20,000, Dancingwithsierra’s average draw is 7.63 in an average field size of 9.81.
“She is not a filly who can make her own luck against the elite,” Hoban said. “Rocknroll Magic, who won the (Vicbred) final, three months ago Dancingwithesierra defeated her when she led and Rocknroll Magic had to come from behind.”
And that’s where the frustration stems from, Hoban’s confidence in his filly. This brings us to tomorrow’s 11-race card, when Dancingwithsierra has drawn barrier seven in the $25,000 stakes race.
“Again she is drawn poorly, but she is probably not against the elite,” Hoban said. “Chris wasn’t disappointed with her run last week. She has probably trained on as well as you could expect her too and she will give a good show.”
