Trainer Hopes It’s Her Day At Balaklava

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 04:46

Heartbroken after last year’s Balaklava Cup, trainer Roslyn Day hopes to snatch her second win in the provincial feature on Wednesday with evergreen mare Steel My Heart.

After stablemate Road Worker narrowly claimed the 2007 Balaklava Cup ahead of Keltah, Steel My Heart finished third in 2008 and a controversial second behind Alcopop in 2009.

Steel My Heart was taken out by Alcopop multiple times in the straight with the Jake Stephens-trained galloper clinching victory by only a short head.

However after a lengthy protest hearing, stewards dismissed Day’s objection much to her dismay.

“Even to this day I still watch it and in my opinion – the stewards are entitled to have their own view – but in my opinion I think she deserved the race,” Day told the Virtual Formguide.

“For a mare that’s a big loss because she would have been a listed winning horse rather than a multiple stakes placegetter.

“It makes a big difference but anyway you can’t change the past and we move on to tomorrow.”

The daughter of Gallo Di Ferro finished an uncharacteristic well-beaten sixth last start at Morphettville and Day attributes her disappointing performance to the severely rain-affected track.

“She travelled really good to the turn and then when he (rider Dominic Tourneur) asked her to let down she sort of fell in a hole,” she said.

“She’s never really seen a heavy track and at her only start before on the going she didn’t handle a heavy surface on that occasion either.

“Dead and Slow is good for her but when it starts getting into the heavy range she struggles.”

Boasting a record of ten wins and 11 placings from 43 starts, Steel My Heart has won in excess of $200,000 in prizemoney.

Her last win was registered in July 2009 but she has since managed to finish in the placings on four occasions from 11 starts.

The eight-year-old is set to have one or two more runs this preparation before being retired to the breeding barn.

Steel My Heart will be ridden by stable jockey Adrian Patterson in Wednesday’s $80,000 Malaysia Airlines/Advertiser Balaklava Cup (1600m) to be run at 4:30pm local time (5pm EST).

Balaklava (Wednesday)

Race 9 @ 4:30pm - $80,000 Listed Malaysia Airlines/Advertiser Balaklava Cup (1600m) - Form

Picture: Jenny Barnes

fShare

Tweet