TRAINER DAVID VANDYKE KICKS OFF THE NEW METROPOLITAN SEASON WITH A SMART DOUBLE

By Graham Potter | Saturday, August 3, 2024

The first Metropolitan Saturday of the new season in Queensland provided the stage for the David Vandyke stable to send out two winners from three starters with Mintaka Lad and My Snow Queen both saluting at Doomben on August 3.

Mintaka Lad, who had won three of his first six starts from December 2022 to October 2023, had to wait a further six starts to claim this fourth win, but he had given notice that he was ready to strike again with a runner-up finish in his previous start over 1200m when only just touched off by Mount Fuji in a BM68 Handicap.

Racing over the same track and distance in a Class 3 Plate here, Mintaka Lad, who was carrying 60kg from a number ten barrier draw, jumped as an $8.50 chance ... having shortened from $10 ... with the services of Michael Rodd in the saddle for the first time.

There were no favours early for the Vandyke trainer runner as Mintaka Lad was held four wide over the first 500m and then three wide when he started to improve and track up behind the leaders in the sweep to the home turn.

Straightening in third place with a little over a length to make up, Rodd patiently allowed Mintaka Lad time to go through his gears, gradually building momentum to the point where he gained the ascendency coming through the 100m.

From there he stayed on strongly enough to ward off a wall of late challenges close to the line to score by a 0.88 length margin ... with less than a length separating the next four runners across the line in that very keen chase for the minor placings.

The $42 700 prize-money that came with the win pushed Mintaka Lad’s career earnings through the $100 000 mark to a very healthy $128 600 from his twelve starts ... courtesy of four wins, two second places and one third place finish.
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Five races later, My Snow Queen put the double on the scoreboard at the meetimng for the David Vandyke stable.

The daughter of Star Turn came into a 1200m BM68 Handicap on the back of three successive runner-up finishes, the last time going down by the narrowest of margins in the Provincial Sprinters Series Final at BM80 Handicap level over 1200m at the Sunshine Coast on July 6.

Senior rider Angela Jones, who had ridden My Snow Queen in her previous two runs, gave way to 3kg claimer Tahlia Fenlon on this occasion, and that claim was very useful in helping the six-year-old mare stay claim a decisive victory.

Easy to back at $7, Fenlon jumped My Snow Queen out strongly from the worst of the draw (barrier eleven out of eleven) with the clear intent of taking the early lead and she duly achieved that easily enough before settling her mount into a comfortable rhythm, a neat length ahead of Ef Troop ($17), at the head of affairs.

My Snow Queen led to the home turn, where she cornered beautifully, and kicked on cue, to continue to set a lively target as she powered on down the home straight, never seriously letting anyone else into the race as she maintained a winning effort all the way to cross the line having exactly the same winning margin ... 0.88 lengths ... with which her stable companion Mintaka Lad had saluted earlier in the day.

My Snow Queen has now won four times since joining the David Vandyke stable and this latest win moved her overall record to six wins and fourteen placings from thirty-six starts with $301 650 banked in prize-money.