A NINTH placing at Menangle when finishing almost 17 metres off the pace may not have been an indication that Allnight Mlady was a runner to watch at the Bathurst Paceway on Wednesday night.
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But both Georges Plains trainer-driver Bernie Hewitt and the punters who backed her into $5 second elect for the Lexus Of Dubbo Pace (1,730 metres) knew that last start result was deceiving.
She proved it by coming from fourth with a lap to travel to win the race by 1½m, the victory the second of the season for Allnight Mlady.
“We had a good trip all the way and she finished off pretty good, I was pretty happy with her,” Hewitt said.
“She did alright last week at Menangle too, so she’s in pretty good form at the moment.”
While the now four-year-old Sportswriter x Dance A Rainbow mare has been a consistent top-four runner for Hewitt, it was the Steve Turnbull trained Our Emancipation who started as the $1.50 favourite.
Our Emancipation did feature in the run as well, staging a good battle down the back straight with Williewa Bullet before both faded and finished out of the placings.
A member of Greg Rue’s Bathurst stables, Williewa Bullet showed a good gate speed once the green light was given and was able to cross from barrier four to take up the lead.
Our Emancipation had only gotten away fairly, but driver Stephanie Burley soon punched forward in the death seat to sit outside Williewa Bullet.
After covering the first quarter of the last mile in 29.4 seconds, the battle between the two frontrunners intensified. All the while Hewitt sat back and waited.
Our Emancipation pulled ahead by a half neck into the back straight, but Williewa Spirit continued to fight for the lead.
It meant the favourite was unable to cross and remained on Williewa Spirit’s outside.
With 550 to go the favourite led by a length, but the effort took its toll as the chasing pack closed in.
Allnight Mlady got the lead with 100m to go then held off a strong finishing Brocks Under Fire ($11, Tom Pay) to win, with third belonging to Pom Pay ($26.50, Graham Betts) a further 4m back.
With final splits of 29.2 and 29.8 seconds, Allnight Mlady clocked a 1:58.5 winning mile rate.
It was the first half of a winning double for Hewitt, as he moved into second in the Bathurst club’s trainers’ premiership.
Hewitt’s four-year-old mare Art Mistress saluted as the $1.80 favourite in the TAB.com.au Pace (1,730m).
She beat home The Only Child ($10.90, Mat Rue) by 2.6m, while outsider Sky Falcon ($47, Holly Newson) rounded out the placings a further 3.5m back.
Art Mistress won in a 1:55.6 mile rate.
