Tim O'Connor
There was drama aplenty, but it was a case of all’s well that ends well for connections of Compete after the Emma Stewart-trained youngster snatched victory in one of Saturday night’s big features at Melton.
The son of Sweet Lou galloped at the start of the Alabar Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic Final for three-year-old colts and geldings, but gained a reprieve when Mark Pitt was tipped from the sulky of race favourite Gawn and the race subsequently aborted.
While Pitt was sidelined by medics for the rest of the night, stewards and veterinarians deemed all runners fit to start a second running of the race some half an hour later. And this time Compete made no mistakes.
He got away well from the mobile and eventually took cover behind stablemate Gawn, who worked extremely hard in the early stages for replacement driver Kate Gath but eventually found the front.
As the field turned for home, Kerryn Manning popped off the pegs with Compete and he sped past his main rival in the betting to score comfortably in a slick mile rate of 1:53.9 (1720m).
“It was an action-packed half an hour and (we) had a bit of luck when the race was called off,” Manning said.
“He was just so fierce the first time around. Certainly it wasn’t his usual pattern and they were quite surprised.
“Being out there and then coming back in and going out again, he was actually a lot better the second time out. He was on his best behaviour.”
Manning said Compete was fit and ready to go when it came time for the re-run.
“My bloke, he was fine. He only galloped out, so he had nothing wrong with him really at all. He was just fired up the first time and second time out he was much calmer.”
Compete is owned by breeder Peter Gleeson and Stewart’s father Warren, with the gelding now a winner of two races from four career starts.
Patrick Ryan was celebrating a rare big-race success as trainer when Little Miss Lily pounced late to win the Alabar Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic Final for the three-year-old fillies.
Driver Damian Wilson managed to dig the horse up from barrier eight to hold the back of early leader Major Drama, with the daughter of Lennytheshark then pulling to her outside entering the straight and sprinting best to win by a half-neck over Lennys Angel.
“Pat said she’d probably be better for the run from last week and she was just able to hold the leader’s back tonight which made all the difference,” Wilson said.
“Ellen (Tormey and Major Milestone) nearly got in front of me early and I just poked through with my legs I think, but that was the winning move in the end of the race.”
Little Miss Lily has now won two of seven starts for her large ownership group and breeder Staffordshire Park.
Also on Saturday night at Melton, the supremely-bred Bay Of Biscay scored a great win on debut in the IRT Australia Shakamaker Classic for Stewart and James Herbertson before the Laura Crossland trained-and-driven Cheyella upstaged Encipher in the Allied Express Blossom Lady.
