[PHOTO: Western Racepix]
Inahappydaze and Lyle’s Choice landed Pearce Racing a winning double at the final Albany meeting of the season on Sunday when the stablemates took out the Hygain Tracktorque Maiden (1500m) and Hygain Regain Handicap (2100m) respectively.
All Too Hard filly Inahappydaze, who was well-supported from $3 into $2.40 leading into the race, got the day off to a flyer when breaking her maiden status in the opening event with the country’s leading rider Chris Parnham aboard.
After settling in the box seat from barrier three, Parnham peeled the three-year-old off the fence turning for home and she sprinted past the leaders at the 300-metre mark before Godgivemestrength ($41) levelled up to her to issue a challenge, however, she responded strongly over the final stages to kick back and pull away by more than a length.
Race-favourite Garage Days ($2.05) finished a further one-and-a-half lengths away in third place.
Inahappydaze had been knocking on the door for a maiden victory with placings of second, third and fourth at her previous three starts and has now recorded a win and two minor placings from her six race starts to date.
Meanwhile, Lyle’s Choice ($3.10 to $5.50) defied a late betting drift to score the first win of his campaign and his first victory past 1675 metres when proving too strong at his sixth run back from a spell.
The Alfred Nobel four-year-old relished a sharp drop in grade from his previous start at Ascot when finishing a sound fifth at his first attempt at a staying journey and was given the run of the race in the box seat by in-form apprentice Holly Watson after jumping from barrier two.
Watson worked away from the rail approaching the turn before putting the gelding into the race three-wide entering the straight and he finished strongly down the middle of the track to claim Western King ($7.50) by a long neck, with race-favourite Treat Yo Self ($1.55) a further neck away back in third.
Lyle’s Choice’s victory was made all the more sweeter after claiming a Westspeed stayers’ bonus as a WA-bred four-year-old winning last 1700 metres, making the win a $17,350 result for connections.
The consistent gelding has now recorded four wins and three second placings from his 15 starts since joining the Pearce stable in February last year.
CLICK HERE to watch the replay of Inahappydaze’s Albany win.
CLICK HERE to watch the replay of Lyle’s Choice’s Albany win.