Classy mare Joys A Babe has stamped her ticket to the big dance.
And the big dance takes place on July 15, the final night of the 2017 Brisbane winter carnival with the running of the Gr.1 $200,000 UBET Blacks A Fake – the final leg of the 2016/17 Australian Pacing Gold Grand Circuit season.
Prepared by leading trainer Grant Dixon and driven by his wife Trista, the Art Major mare used the inside draw to full advantage to claim the Listed $25,500 Wondais Mate at Albion Park tonight (Saturday).
Joys A Babe showed speed from the inside draw before handing over to the in-form Kept Under Wraps before using the Egmont Park Stud sprintlane over the concluding stages in a time of 1:53.1.
The 1660m sprint feature was covered in 27.1, 29.7, 27.9 and 28.6 seconds.
Joys A Babe ($2.90 fav) was able to run down Kept Under Wraps ($3.90) while Majestic Major ($10) battled into third placing.
“We got a good run from the draw and she was able to finish off nicely in the straight, her form is really solid at the moment.” Winning driver Trista Dixon said.
It was the 6th time the pair has combined to win at Albion Park.
The winner of tonight’s feature is exempt from ballot from the Blacks A Fake in three week’s time.
Bred and raced by Kevin and Kay Seymour, Joys A Babe has now won 30 races while banking more than $360,000 in stakes.
The Art Major – Joy To Behold six-year-old has won 24 races at headquarters.
The unlucky runner of the event was former New Zealand pacer Hughie Green who never saw any daylight over the concluding stages after starting from the outside of the second-line.
In the end, Hughie Green finished at the rear of the field.
Next week, the 2017 Brisbane winter carnival officially commences with a number of features including the Listed $25,000 Mr Feelgood is the feature, the open class event is likely to attract a high quality field which will be staged over the 2138m.
Other highlights include the Gr.3 $30,000 Ted & Edna Badcock Memorial 4yo Championship, the Gr.3 $30,000 Premiers Cup and the Listed $25,000 Egmont Park Stud Provincial Oaks.
