Trainer Cliff Brown’s new filly Miss Dusty franked the ability she showed on debut with an impressive follow-up win in the $85,000 Restricted Maiden race over 1200m on Friday night.
The Reliable Man grey was at the same time franking the good genes in her family. She is out of the Jet Spur dam Asciano Miss, the dam of Singapore Polytrack champion Nova Swiss and Brown’s useful sprinter Golden Sword.
A game second to Good Catch at her first run in a Restricted Maiden race over 1000m on April 22, the on-the-pace filly went one better after overcoming a sticky barrier before putting the race away in a few bounds inside the last 300m of the contest.
Miss Dusty (Michael Rodd) races away an easy winner in Race 2 on Friday, picture Singapore Turf Club
Stalking up the speed behind race-leader Gridiron (Zawari Razali) after coming across from her outermost alley (12), Miss Dusty always looked to be travelling on the bridle with jockey Michael Rodd riding her on a piece of cotton despite having no cover throughout the race.
That impression of ease was plain for all to see when the 3-1 shot was given full bore in the straight, as she skipped clear to a most imposing win in the time of 1min 11.25secs for the 1200m on the Long Course.
Fame Star (Olivier Placais) and the well-tried debutant Eye Guy (Shafrizal Saleh) tried their best to mount a challenge, but were well beaten in second and third place, three lengths and another half-a-length away respectively.
Favourite Mount Nerone (Barend Vorster) was never in it with a shout after dropping at the rear. He struggled to make ground and finished ninth.
“At her first start, she did a few things wrong at the gates. She got spooked, but she still ran good,” said Brown’s assistant-trainer Tim Fitzsimmons.
“We were a bit worried about the wide gate tonight, but she showed a good turn of foot to win a nice race.”
Rodd could not be happier with having his name back up in lights after feeling under the weather last week. The Australian jockey was stood down after two rides last Friday, complaining of fatigue.
The amiable jockey said he had recovered, but still decided not to hasten into full swing by accepting only two rides this Friday – other one is Parador for David Hill in the last race.
“It’s been a hard couple of weeks, but it’s under control now. There was mucus up in my nose, doctors have sorted it and I’m okay now,” he said.
“This filly had an economical run even though I thought she would be in trouble early in the run from barrier 12.
“She was cantering in the first half and once I picked her up, she finished it off nicely. She is well related in Singapore and there are better things in store for her.”
