‘It’s a great facility’: Robinson hails track staff as filly breaks maiden

LOCAL trainer Jarrod Robinson delivered an appreciative shout-out to the track staff at Bendigo following his victory with promising filly Two Stroke Baby on Sunday.

With the track rated a heavy 10 in response to more than 90mm of rainfall over the previous week, Robinson insisted many clubs would not have been in a position to race.

But he was stoked to see the meeting go ahead, giving his three-year-old a chance to break her maiden over 1600m.

Slow to begin, the daughter of Grunt was given plenty of time to settle before gradually being eased to the outside of the small field by apprentice Nadia Daniels approaching the home corner.

Well placed entering the home straight, a titanic struggle ensued with Two Stroke Baby just nabbing Next Tuesday and The Quiet Immortal in the final stages for a gutsy win, with less than a length separating the three horses.

Robinson said the home track advantage had definitely played a part in the filly’s breakthrough win.

“She was super-fit, but this track is magnificent. They’ve done a super job,” he said.

“Nowhere else would run on a track that has had 90mm of rain.

“It’s obviously a huge advantage training here because we get to use the grass a lot. It’s a great facility.”

A $21 chance in betting, Robinson was convinced Two Stroke Baby was better than her record of just one placing from her previous eight starts suggested.

“She has always shown a lot, but she’s been frustrating,” he said.

“(Fellow local trainer) Sean Mott has done a great job track riding her.

“She’s taken a little while to get things right and Nadia gave her a great ride today.

“A shout-out to Kevin McGrath, who owns her. He’s been super patient, let’s me do what I want.

 

“He couldn’t make it today unfortunately, but I’m sure he’ll be rapt we got a winner.”

The win has forced a slight change in plan for Two Stroke Baby, with Robinson conceding last Sunday was more about getting a run under her belt ahead of a crack at a race on Mildura Cup day on 19 July on a drier track.

“She might still go up there, but she will be in a higher-rated race,” he said.

“She’d definitely like it drier.

“This is the best heavy track you are going to get; she’s not going to like sloppy heavy tracks, but she’ll appreciate the soft.”

The win continued a good couple of months for Robinson, starting with his two-year-old Running Rich’s third in the $250,000 VOBIS Gold Rush on Golden Mile day at Bendigo.

His last 26 starters have produced four wins and six placings.

Twenty-year-old apprentice Daniels admitted to a change in tack of her own aboard Two Stroke Baby after the filly was slow to kick into gear.

“The plan was to be a bit more forward, but she just lacked that early speed,” she said.

“If we can learn anything from the first race (on Sunday), the first winner came wide and so did she, so it’s obviously not too bad out there.

“She gave me a really good feel around the home turn and I thought, home track, tick; wet track, tick; so, all went well for us.

“Definitely taking up the bridle early in the race (is something she will need to learn), but she is still learning to be fair to her.

“She’ll win more races.”