Wakelin credits her daughter with win for talented mare

Philippa Wakelin and Stephen Noble know there is no such thing as a certainty in harness racing, having earlier in the year experienced the tragic fortune of losing a stable runner on race day when Ready I Am was taken from them abruptly after a freak accident.

The pair have had tremendous success training squaregaiters for the last two decades with Open Class performers such as Awesome Imace (Brylin Boyz) and G2 Sires Stakes Championship winner Sun Lad (Sundon).

And while it has been some time since the stable has had a trotter of the same quality as the talented two half-brothers mentioned above, they look to have unearthed a promising mare in the form of Musclynn (Muscle Mass), who picked up her third win of the season at Sunday afternoons (Dec 11.) Methven meeting.

Safely away from the 2400m dispatch point, Wakelin had Musclynn nicely positioned in a one out three back position in the running line where they remained throughout the lap and a half around Mt Harding Racecourse until peeling for one run at the opposition turning for home.

She unwound stylishly down the center of the track to have her head in front when it mattered most to nab career victory number three by a head after a gallant tussle down the straight.

MUSCLYNN REPLAY

Coming into to yesterday’s assignment, the four-year-old mare had been a last start winner of the grass surface at Geraldine, having earlier picked up her maiden victory on the same surface at Motukarara only two days after the untimely loss of Ready I Am.

The bonny mare who was a $12,500 yearling sales purchase in 2019 clearly has a penchant for the grass, with the reasoning why becoming apparent when Nigel Armstrong of Harness Racing Unhinged caught up with Wakelin after the race.

“She went good, hey. She’s always had a bit of ability, and we’ve thought a lot of her, but it’s just about managing her few wee niggles. But just a bit of time and spacing her races has worked a treat,” said Wakelin.

“I need to give a lot of credit to my daughter, who has been riding her for the last six weeks after school for twenty minutes over trotting poles. I think it has just strengthened her up over her back end and got her stifles working correctly, and it’s a credit to Paige.

“She hummed and ahhed and decided to stay at home and help her dad like the good daughter she is. She said you’re not going to win, are you mum? I told her it would be up to “Lynn” because, with her, I’m just a passenger some days. Paige will be gutted, but hey, we will take it,” she said.

“You have to take the wins when you can now, you don’t know if you have a horse the next day. We’ve been on the receiving end of same bad luck lately with taking one to the races and not coming home with one, so you don’t know,” she said.

For complete Methven results, click here.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink