Sassyola salutes at 200th start

The Dianne Giles trained mare Sassyola (Western Terror) celebrated her 200th race start in style scoring an upset harness racing win at Melton recently.

Sassyola settled behind the leader and $1.45 favorite Yahoo who set a genuine tempo reeling off a 57.6 first half of the last mile before driver Michael Stanley attempted to steal a winning break on straightening.

Sassyola however stuck to her guns in great style finishing resolutely to grab Yahoo in the shadows of the post and scoring by a head at the huge odds of $81.

Giles revealed she almost pulled the pin on the mare’s racing career a couple of years ago.

“We were going to send her to stud two years ago but she just comes good around spring time enough for us to keep her going for one more year, “Giles said.

“She’s a nine-year-old now and still racing as good as she ever has,” she said.

Giles admitted she may have stumbled across a winning formula for Sassyola and the trotter Chinski who completed a stable double later in the night.

“I thought both horses were looking a bit tired so I sent them both up to Ballan to spend a week in the paddock where they had grass up to their waist,” she said.

“And Sassyola particularly has come back as bright as a button.”

Declan Murphy, who was having his first drive behind Sassyola, replaced regular driver the Hamilton based Jackie Barker.

“I couldn’t get Jackie to drive all the way to Melton for one drive on her at such big odds,” she said.

Nevertheless, the breeding barn beckons for Sassyola according to Giles.

“We’ll keep her going as long as her form holds up but I’m pretty sure this will be her last campaign and then she’ll be off to stud,” she said.

For complete race results, click here.

by John Dunne, for Harnesslink