FACING the breeze down the back straight on a windy day at the Bathurst Harness Racing Club is usually enough to sap the energy of a contender.
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But when it came to Art Series in Sunday’s Group 3 NSW Breeders Challenge Two Year Old Fillies Regional Final (1,730 metres), it was no deterrent.
Having rolled into the death seat as the bell sounded, Art Series then applied the pressure to leader Black Silhouette despite running into a head wind with gusts of more than 30km/hr.
As they headed into the final bend the pair were neck and neck, but on balancing Art Series quickly pulled away from her rivals.
Over the final metres she was simply cruising, but she still managed to win the decider by six metres in a handy 1:57.2 mile rate.
“Today she pulled still, but she still did good,” winning driver Amanda Turnbull said.
“She still likes rolling along.”
Sunday’s win came 12 months after Turnbull had celebrated success on finals day in the NSW Breeders Challenge Regional Series with one of her favourite fillies in Pixies Parlour.
Pixies Parlour won the three-year-old decider, but after Art Series’ latest success, Turnbull admitted she was fond of her as well.
“She [Pixies Parlour] was one of my favourites, she has come a long way,” Turnbull said. “I’ve always liked her [Art Series] when I’ve jumped on, but I’m usually on something else in the races against her.”
A member of her father Steve Turnbull’s The Lagoon team, Amanda Turnbull returned to the gig behind Art Series after guiding her to second in a NSW Breeders Challenge semi-final at Menangle Park in June.
The Bettors Delight x Sheezallattitude filly had been a $12 chance when betting opened, but by the time she found position in the widest of the second row draws she had shortened to $5.
While Black Silhouette had enough gate speed to work to the head of the field, behind her Turnbull had Art Series on the move.
As the bell sounded Turnbull’s chance had moved up into the death seat and was pulling hard.
The pace picked up down the back straight, the third quarter of the mile covered in 28.9 seconds, but that was not enough for Black Silhouette to shake off Art Series.
As they entered the final bend the pair were neck and neck, but on balancing Art Series quickly pulled away and went on to post the third win of her 14-start career.
Text Message ($3.40) was second, while $3.30 favourite Tassini came from sixth at the 500m mark to grab third.
