Watch Me Now rated best mare

After today’s impressive win in the Macca Lodge South of the Waitaki Mobile Pace co-trainer and driver Kirstin Barclay had no hesitation in rating Watch Me Now as the best mare she’s driven.

“I’ve been lucky to drive some nice horses but she’d be by far the best mare,” she said.

Into today’s $30,000 feature for horses trained south of the Waitaki River, Barclay said she was unsure what her raceday plan was but she felt she had options from a wide draw.

“She’s more than a one trick pony. She can do a bit of work, sit parked or lead.”

From gate seven Barclay pushed the mare forward early.

“Once she scored up behind the gate she was pretty keen, came out well and we got across quite easily.”

Once in front she settled into a nice rhythm.

“She’s a funny mare. She switches off easily and relaxes. She just enjoys rolling along and that’s what she did.”

At the 600 metres Watch Me Now was just cruising.

“I thought I’d gone a lap too soon. I expected them to come at her at the bend but they didn’t.  She did it very easy in the end.”

At the finish she was six and a half lengths clear of second place getter Sentry.

“I didn’t think it was going to be easy by any means. Primarily she’s been racing against fillies and mares so it was quite a step up. I was confident of a good showing but I wasn’t dead set confident she would come out and win like she did.”

The winning time for the 2600 metre mobile was 3-10.0 – a mile rate of 1-57.5. The last half was cut out in 56.0 with the last 400 run in 26.8.

Today’s win was Watch Me Now’s sixth from just ten starts.

“That’s a credit to Tank. He’s spaced her races out really well and looked after her. That’s one of his talents – plotting a path with horses and he’s done it to perfection with her.”

Watch Me Now is out of the Mach Three mare Mach N Elle which is owned by Steve and Claire Sloan and Macca Lodge Stud master Brent McIntyre who sponsored today’s race.

As a broodmare Mach N Elle has left Darcee the winner of eight races in New Zealand, and she was also successful in America.

Barclay and Ellis have had Watch Me Now from day one, Ellis having had success with her half-sister Machjagger.

“Right from day one we liked her.v She’s always been a beautiful gaited horse who felt like she had a bit of a motor.”

So are there any bigger plans for the mare?

“No. I’ll leave that to Tank. He does all the planning. My job is to drive these sorts of horses in work and on race day.”

Watch Me Now is owned by Steve Sloan, Claire Sloan, Brad Sloan, Mrs J Sloan and Hayley Gibb.

Meanwhile other stable star U May Cullect has come home to Southland after an unsuccessful campaign running in some of the big races leading into the New Zealand Cup for which he held a nomination.

“He’s home having a month off on good grass. He lost a bit of condition and he had a couple of joint issues which we thought we were on top of.  His dicky leg is really good. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong but the good thing is that he’s sound. When you’re racing at that level you just have to be one hundred percent right. We were just on the back foot all the way through. We just have to get him right and happy again.”

by Bruce Stewart