Tango Tara wins $25,000 Del Re National Italian Cup at Melton

TANGO Tara made a belated return to the winner’s stall at Melton when he led all the way in the $25,000 Del Re National Italian Cup.

Favorite backers were delivered an early broadside at the meeting when the $1.60 favorite Perfect Class galloped after appearing to be tightened heading into the first turn and settled down at the rear of the field.

Meanwhile, Kate Gath was allowed to dictate the terms of the race to suit herself on Tango Tara, as the leader was joined by stablemate Yambukian before increasing the tempo with a 28 back straight quarter.

In the run to the line Tango Tara ($9) was untroubled to score by three metres from Yambukian to give the Andy Gath stable a feature race quinella.

The win was the eight-year-old’s first at headquarters since April last year.

“It is really good to get a win with him finally as he’s knocked on the door a few times, but hasn’t quite got there. Drawing two in the random barrier draw made all the difference,” Kate Gath said after the race.

Gath acknowledged Tango Tara hasn’t won out of turn in recent months.

“He tends to go best in faster mile rates, he’s a bit of a funny horse as he doesn’t win as often as you think, but I thought he was good tonight and it’s probably the biggest winning margin he’s had for a while,” she said.

“He generally knocks off the last little bit or has one get to him.”

Gath said Tango Tara was unlikely to join the exodus of pacers heading north for the Queensland Constellations at Albion Park later this month.

“We’ll just stay here as he earns just about every time he goes around even from bad draws, and you can’t complain about that,” she said.

Tango Tara has now exceeded $350,000 in stake earnings and the win was his 16th career success which has been punctuated with 37 placings.

 

Racegoers who braved the chilly weather at Melton savored the win of champion race mare Ladies In Red in the Cinderella Stakes.

David Moran let Ladies In Red amble around to wrest the lead off stable mate Soho Historia with a lap to travel and the six-year-old daughter of Mach Three cruised to the line in a mile rate of 1:52.6 for the 1720-metre journey.

Ladies In Red will travel to Brisbane this week in search of the rich spoils on offer with her focus being the $150,000 The Golden Girl where she will clash with NSW mare Aardies Express and fellow Victorian Rakero Rebel.

There is speculation that the win, her 16th at Melton, could be her last at headquarters as the breeding barn beckons later this year.

Moran agrees it is difficult to find superlatives that we haven’t heard to describe the eight-time Group 1 winner.

“She’s a beautiful little girl and has done a good job again,” Moran said.

“She’s been a phenomenal horse for a very long time. She’s pretty plain, but she’s got a big motor which has taken her a long way.

“I’ve been lucky enough to drive a lot of very good horses but it’s just amazing to be part of this.”

Part owner Bill Anderson said Ladies In Red will be further improved by the run on the eve of her Queensland campaign.

“The little frustration is that it is a month between runs which is not ideal but she just loves it here at Melton, and Queensland here we come,” Anderson said.

Ladies In Red’s career record is now 27 wins and seven placings from 35 starts for more than $1.08m in stake earnings.

 

Emerging mare Isthisjustfantasy continues to build an imposing record after outsprinting her rivals in the Sulky.APP Metropolitan Pace (3rd Heat).

An easing $2.10 favorite, Isthisjustfantasy enjoyed the run of the race on the back of the leader Roryville whose driver David Moran attempted to slow the tempo and turn the race into a 400-metre dash home.

Moran’s tactics were on target until Isthisjustfantasy displayed a slick turn of foot over the concluding stages to grab the leader in the shadows of the post.

Driver Glen Craven noted the pros and cons of how the race was run.

“She did a good job as the race was run to suit but it wasn’t with the leader going so slow, but she’s a super quick mare and sprinted up the lane really well,” Craven said.

“She has been coming out wide around horses and making good ground in quick time so sitting on the fence makes it a lot easier,” he said.

Craven is hoping to make the most of the state’s better mares’ absence in the coming weeks.

“Hopefully Ladies In Red and Rakero Rebel go to Queensland and she can run around in the mares races back here in her class and see what she can pick off,” he said.

Craven believes the lightly raced mare will prove competitive in next week’s $25,000 final.

“There are high class horses in it but with the way she races as a sit sprinter, if there is a genuine tempo, she should be in the finish,” he said.

A biblical Red Seas scenario paved the way for Exotic Bushranger to score an unlikely win in the Sulky.APP Metropolitan Pace (1st Heat).

The Michael Stanley trained and driven pacer settled four back along the pegs from its inside second row draw and was shuffled back to last as the field rounded the home turn.

 

Both the leader Elusive and behind leader Swizzlestick wandered away from the pegs in the home straight allowing Exotic Bushranger ($21) to access the sprint lane and the four-year-old charged through along the pegs to get up and score by two metres from the $151 rank outsider High Flux.

Stanley said the winner’s task was made tougher shortly after the start.

“He’s still got a lot to learn as he was a little bit awkward away and just wanted to get off the track at the start and we lost a spot,” Stanley said.

Stanley is suitably impressed by the winner.

“He’s a really progressive horse and I think he’s going to have a really good future,” he said.

Stanley concedes the racing gods smiled upon him in the home straight.

“Sometimes you need a bit of luck and both the leader and the one on his back went wide instead of inside, so we got the run through,” he said.

“But you need the horse to take the luck and we did tonight.”

Stanley is optimistic about the future of his stable.

“We’ve moved on a lot of older horses to Perth and we’ve got a really good bunch of up and coming stock, so it’s good that we are getting the results on the track,” he said.