THE crowd got the two horse battle they expected during the last of Wednesday night's TAB Regional Championships Western Heats at Bathurst Paceway, but not the finishing order most expected.
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Josh Turnbull's Yes You May ($3.40) utilised the sprint lane perfectly under the guidance of Isobel Ross to chase down race favourite Chasing The Wind ($1.50, Amanda Turnbull) and enter the upcoming $100,000 Group 1 final as a heat winner.
It's a great moment for Ross who will be lining up in just her second ever Group 1 race, and her first in NSW.
"It's really exciting, and it's exciting for Josh too. He works so hard and puts in the long hours," Ross said after her win.
"He bred that one himself so it's pretty special for the family."
Yes You May had sat glued to the tail of Chasing The Wind throughout the running, while the pair tracked behind Justin Reynolds' leader Imthevillagestar.
A sluggish opening half of 62.8 favoured Reynolds' leader but when Chasing The Wind ducked down the inside to start his sprint Imthevillagestar couldn't keep up.
But the attacks kept coming from the sprint lane as Ross' runner started to push the favourite hard over the last 100m.
Yes You May got the nod by a neck while Imthevillagestar ($34) ran on for third.
"I was waiting on the sprint lane. He's got such a good turn of foot that it doesn't matter how slow or quick they go. I've always got faith in him. He's been a good little horse for me," Ross said.
"I did get a little worried in that first half when they went 31.4, 31.4 but he still got the job done.
"You've always got to be happy when you make your way into these big races. You're out there for two minutes where anything can happen."
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