Delightful Memphis green but talented

 The $25,000 Caduceus Club of Southland Pace for Two year old fillies at the harness racing meeting at Ascot Park in Invercargil yesterday is a highly sought after race each year by South Island trainers and yesterdays field of twelve runners was indicative of that interest.

The Leonard Memorial winner Delightful Memphis from the Mark Jones barn was a warm favourite even though she had drawn awkwardly at two second line.

Her main competition was expected to come from the Mach Three filly Renske B from the All Star barn who had shown plenty of promise in her brief career to date and had pleased trainer Mark Purdon with her work leading into the race.

Kotare Yarra and John Dunn flew the gate from barrier seven to lead early from Ariadne Lavra who trailed and Renske B who ended up in the one out position in the open.

Hard on her back after getting a lovely run through from her second line draw was Delightful Memphis  and Ricky May.

With Kotare Yarra setting a good tempo in front there were no mid race moves and the order remained the same as they went past the 400 metres.

On the point of the turn, Delightful Memphis peeled three wide and slowly but surely worked herself past Renske B who fought hard but had no answer to the Bettor's Delight filly who went on to make it two from two in her career to date.

A very game Renske B held second from Ariadne Lavra who never left the inner at any point of the race in running third why Kotare Yarra impressed once again by doing a power of work and sticking on for a game fourth.

Delightful Memphis impressed Ricky May with her effort.

" She gave me quite a few worries in her preliminary by running about something terrible."

" I had been told she was still very green but the degree did surprise me."

" However to be fair to her, when she turned to follow the mobile at the start, she was a lot more tractable and didn't do anything seriously wrong during the running."

" With the run she got she was always going to win that race but she did give me a very nice feel and felt like a filly that could develop with further experience into a high class racehorse, "Ricky told Harnesslink post race.

Raced by Wayne Higgs and Simon Doull amongst others, Delightful Memphis will shortly come up against the likes of Spanish Armarda and Casino Belle but on her two race starts to date ,she looks more than up to the challenge.

Delightful Memphis

Harnesslink Media