IT'S taken some time to get Hot Embers to the track but the wait's certainly been worth it for John O'Shea's gelding Hot Embers.
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Hot Embers ($1.75 favourite) picked up her second win in a row to start his career during Monday's Reliance Bank Pace (1,730 metres) at Bathurst Paceway.
Compared to his debut a week earlier the four-year-old had to work a little harder in the run for home but there was still no stopping the Courage Under Fire gelding, as he left Cocofollownoone ($23) and Showem Simon ($2.90) to fight it out for second.
Hot Embers made good use of the inside gate to get away quickly by getting away to an easy lead.
Cocofollownoone took the sit behind the leader and Jedda Shannon got to the death despite racing rough on the opening bend.
O'Shea put on the brakes with a second quarter of 31.8 and used that saved energy to gain a five metre break inside final 400m.
Jedda Shannon faded from the challenge but Cocofollownoone stayed in touch and Showem Simon finished strongly over the length of the straight.
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Hot Embers was too good for them, holding on by two metres to win in a mile rate of 1:58.1.
"About 12 months ago he decided to cut his tendon off when he was ready to race last time so he's done a really good job to get here," O'Shea said.
Hot Embers' dam Our Super Party is shaping up as a nice broodmare.
Her other foal to make it to the racetrack, Marcotti, won at listed level in Western Australia last month.