Thirteen Skins Just A Little Secret
- Wednesday, 28 July 2010 23:56
The Colin Little trained Thirteen Skins looks to be a quality staying prospect after sustaining a long run to win the $12,000 Ray Benson Super Vobis Three-Year-Old Maiden Plate (1700m) at Sale.
Thirteen Skins ($2,$2.10) was driven out of the gates by apprentice Taylor Lovelock-Wiggins causing the colt to overrace behind the leading division in the early stages.
Lovelock-Wiggins had no option but to come around the field and take up the running with the best part of 1000m to travel but proved to have a class edge, sustaining his run, and fighting on to defeat Danz Boy ($5,$4.20) by a long neck with a gap of more than four lengths to Teratoa ($7,$10,$9).
A three-year-old colt by Irish stallion Tobougg, Thirteen Skins was bred by Little's late wife Jacquie but was somewhat of a surprise addition to the Lord Lodge team recounts Little.
"He was breed secretly by Jacquie, totally unbeknown to me until I got a bill for him one day," said Little.
"So I took the big raw boned, green, old fashioned staying horse over and it has taken a lot of work to get him where he is today.
"I still don't know who she was going to get to train him," Little joked.
Little is still humoured by the colt's first race start in which he almost didn't line up after planting his feet on course to the starting gates.
"His first start in a race the jockey had to get off him at the 800m mark because he saw the barriers and didn't want to go anywhere near them," said Little.
"Eventually he led him to the barriers and ran an eye-catching fourth after tailing off early."
Little believes the consistent staying type, who also shows a nice turn of foot, could measure up to the country cups next season should he continue to improve with maturity.
"I think he will have one more run this time in and then we will tip him out for next season," said Little.
"He is a tough customer this bloke and will get a strong 2400m which could make him a handy stayer."
Thirteen Skins has only missed a cheque on the one occasion in five career starts for $13,000 in prizemoney.
Photo by Quentin Lang
