[PHOTO: Western Racepix]
Vert De Grece gelding Grece Lightning brought up the first win of his career at Albany on Friday when taking out the Southern Wire Maiden (1600m).
Ridden by apprentice Luke Campbell, the three-year-old drifted to $12 at the jump before settling one-out and one-back in running and then peeling out three-wide turning for home to be put into the race.
The chestnut had a tendency to lay in and brush with race-favourite race-favourite Scenic Charm ($2.30) midway down the straight before getting the edge by a nose on the line, with Deadly And Fast ($4.80) a further one-and-a-half lengths away in third place.
After winning the race on the track, Grece Lightning then had to win the race in the stewards’ room after a protest was lodged by the rider of Scenic Charm – Jade McNaught – for alleged interference at the 100m mark.
Stewards eventually dismissed the objection, taking Grece Lightning’s race record to nine starts for a win and two minor placings.
The Pearce stable have prepared 43 winners so far in the 2022/23 season.