TOTALLY dominant - that description was apt three times for The Lagoon's Amanda Turnbull at Young's Carnival of Cups meeting on Friday night.
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The highlight was when she added yet another Group winning drive to her resume, guiding Atomic Red to a 13.7m victory in the $30,600, Group 3 Young Cup (2,480 metres).
After going from barrier seven with the six-year-old trained by her father Steve, Turnbull got off the pegs early and dictated terms.
"Once he found the front he could do what he liked, he's loves that," Turnbull said.
It was down the back straight the final time that Atomic Red kicked clear, opening up a gap of three lengths over Chris Frisby's stable star Our Uncle Sam ($1.45), who had worked three-wide to get into the trail.
On balancing at the top of the home straight the margin stood at four lengths and it was clear there would be no catching Turnbull's runner.
Atomic Red ($6.50) not only clocked a near track-record 1:57.2 mile rate for the trip, but beat home talented stablemate Conviction ($8.50) by 13.7m.
Our Uncle Sam, who had won a Group 1 Free For All at Menangle Park six days earlier, had to settle for third. He crossed the line a further 4.5m back, fading after he had faced the breeze for almost the entire first lap.
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It was Atomic Red's biggest winning margin in almost two years as he took his record to 15 victories from 43 starts.
It was a moment Turnbull enjoyed and came after she had driven two members of her own team to commanding wins.
While having his first start in eight months, Turnbull's Shoobee Doo was backed into $1.04 favouritism for the Telstra Shop Young Pace (1,720m). It was a price he justified.
Showing gate speed to take the lead from barrier two, it was with 400m to go he found another gear and blew away his rivals, Shoobee Doo going on to win by 25.1m.
"It was a good run first up from a spell, he done it easy," Turnbull said.
Animal ($1.65) also saluted as a favourite for the trainer-driver when winning the Ray White Real Estate Young Pace (1,720 metres).
Second-up after a spell of more than eight months, the four-year-old son of Art Major showed his fitness was good.
After sitting some eight lengths off the pace at the rear of the field, Turnbull guided Animal two and three wide into the lead.
He kicked at the 400m mark and went on to win by 8.5m.
"He had to do a bit of work early, but once he found the front, he loves that. He can just roll along and yeah, he got home good," she said.
