Aint No Angel too tough

Oamaru harness racing mare Aint No Angel (Raging Bull) did a stack of work and proved too tough at Addington Raceway last night (Jul. 27).

In the $20,000 Hydroflow 2023 Winter Rewards Mobile Pace, trainer driver Brad Williamson was three wide early with cover before sitting park for a short distance. He took the mare to the front with just over a lap to run and held out favourite Black Mach (Mach Three) to win by half a head. The time was 3-11.7 for the 2600 metres – a mile rate of 1-58.6.

It was Aint No Angel’s third win this season and the fifth of her twenty four start career. She’s now won over fifty thousand dollars in stakes.

“She won a Southland Oaks heat as a three year old and in her first few starts she looked capable of putting in performances like she did last night. She ran a nice third in the South of the Waitaki but then her form tapered off. I got her blood done and Peter Gillespie (vet) said that she was feeling quite stressed so we backed off her. All of her racing this time in has been really good,” Williamson said.

The four year old mare was bred by Central Otago’s Neville Armstrong, Rusty Nevill and Kim and Mary Heaney and is out of their Live Or Die mare Heavenly Bliss.

“I think Geoff and Jude Knight bought her at the sales for a syndicate in Central Otago. From what I’ve been told she had a good attitude and tried really hard but she used to hit her knee badly. The Knights recommended that the syndicate breed out of her.”

AINT NO ANGEL REPLAY

Heavenly Bliss’s second foal was Ronaldo, (Alta Christiano) the winner of twelve races in Australia.

“We qualified him as a two year old. In his last trial Ricky May drove him and he won by five lengths (last 800 metres in 56.6) with his plugs still in. He was sold to Tim Butt for good money. After that the syndicate asked me to train Aint No Angel.”

Williamson says he’ll be targeting the South of the Waitaki again this November and the Southern Belle Speed Series.

“She lacks a bit of that top speed and is not a 26 (second quarter) filly but showed last night that she can stay.”

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink