Aretha sings in the rain

With Addington form on the board, Aretha (Fear The Dragon) was always going to be hard to beat at the Gore Harness Racing meeting today.

In today’s two year old feature on a rain affected track driver Jonny Cox settled Aretha off the pace early before looping the field, and she went down to the line to win by three quarters of a length from Drummershavtime which had led, then trailed.

ARETHA REPLAY

“She’s been a bit of a surprise package. We got her going on her second prep and she won her first race. She’s had a wee break and come up extra. She’s a nice filly,” trainer Brent McIntyre said.

The two year old filly which was bred and is raced by Macca Lodge, is also by one of their stallions, Fear The Dragon. She’s the first foal out of the stud’s Art Major mare Zoetica.

The team was relatively confident of a good showing today as Aretha was the only race winning juvenile to start in the six horse field.

“She’s been working well at home and I expected her to go well but you don’t know when you’re up against the boys.”

McIntyre is unsure of where Aretha will race next but there’s some good money two year old fillies features coming up in the next three months with the $100,000 Ace Of Diamonds at Addington at the end of November a possible target.

“She’s got speed and she’s tough.”

The win also helped the Blue September fundraising and awareness campaign with Cox being one of the campaign’s ambassadors.

Later in the programme Joeking (Majestic Son) which is part owned by Macca Lodge and developed there, won his fourth race for Branxholme trainer driver Nathan Williamson.

JOEKING REPLAY

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink