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Purchased online from New South Wales interests, Wild Irish Rover was one of the first horses purchased by Maragos and Thompson after establishing their training operation, adding another layer to an already sweet win.<\/p>\n
He arrived in Bendigo with three wins under his belt from 18 starts.<\/p>\n
Great Western Cup day kick-started a big few days for MacRedmond.<\/p>\n
The Ballarat-based rider notched up a winning double at Great Western, headed across the border to ride a winner at Mount Gambier on Sunday, before picking up a win and a second with his only two rides at Hanging Rock on Monday, including the winner of the Cup, His Finest Hour, for Kyneton trainer Neil Dyer.<\/p>\n
A first-timer to Great Western, Maragos is already vowing to return for the Western District club’s lone racing meeting for the season next year.<\/p>\n
About two-and-a-half years into her training career, the win was her third with her team of tried horses, now boosted by an exciting batch of unraced two, three and four-year-olds.<\/p>\n
Stirring plenty of excitement around the stable is a two-year-old colt by Shamus Award out of Carry On Beauty.<\/p>\n
A satisfying season for Maragos has brought two winners and six placegetters from 26 starters at a place percentage of 31 per cent.<\/p>\n
“For young people still learning and starting out, I’m pretty happy with that percentage,” she said.<\/p>\n
“We don’t go out and spend a fortune on our horses; we’ll only spend four or five grand on our horses<\/p>\n
“So, it’s a big deal when we get up and win like that.”<\/p>\n
Short-term options for Wild Irish Rover include a benchmark 56 over at Kilmore on 13 February after a bit of a freshen up.<\/p>\n
“He goes really well fresh, so we like to keep him fresh, find the right race for him and make sure he draws a gate,” Maragos said.<\/p>\n
“Now we have the firm tracks around, we’ll push on and see if he can’t get another victory.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
YOUNG Bendigo trainer Annalise Maragos had the luck of the Irish on her side at Great Western last weekend, as her striking chestnut Wild Irish Rover charged home for his first race win under her care. A bargain purchase for Maragos and partner Lochie Thompson, the six-year-old former New South Wales-trained gelding put some near […]<\/p>\n