MAHBABY'S SPARKLING FIRST-UP WIN

By Graham Potter | Sunday, July 21, 2024

The six-year-old mare Mahbaby made a sparkling return to race action after a four-month break, seemingly thriving on the challenge as she beat out the $2.35 favourite Kingston’s Here to take the honours in an Open handicap over 1000m at the Sunshine Coast on July 21.

The daughter of Mahrisara had a win and two placed finishes in town in the last five starts of her previous preparation to recommend her chances, and the best of that form was always going to bring her very much into the race here ... although she did drift from $4.60 to $7 in the betting ... which only put a bigger smile on the faces of the punters who stuck with her.

The followers of the favourite Kingston’s Here didn’t have much to smile about at the break though, when the grey bungled the start badly, leaving him seven to eight lengths adrift of the lead in the early part, trying to play catch-up.

Karl Zechner, meantime, had jumped Mahbaby cleanly at the start and then was content to take a trail, settling Mahbaby a couple of lengths off a wall of horses who were all keen to contest the early lead. That had her five lengths clear of Kingston’s Here at that stage.

Little changed until the final part of the sweep to the home turn where Kingston’s Here made up ground quickly to join the pack, racing four wide, a move which saw him straighten with clear galloping room from the point of the turn.

For her part, while Mahbaby had enjoyed an easier passage than the favourite, Zechner now had some work to do to navigate a pathway for Mahbaby, who was faced with a wall of horses in front of her in the first half of the straight ... with Kingston’s Here, in the clear, only a length back to Mahbaby’s outside.

Zechner duly angled his mount out marginally to find a gap in-between runners but, with a number of rivals also ranging into contention, the pressure was well and truly on!

Zechner’s decision to allow Mahbaby to relax and save energy in the first half of the race was now about to, quite literally, pay dividends, as the Geran trained runner knuckled down to the task, took a while to find the required acceleration, but then produced that turn of speed when it mattered most to spear into the lead inside the final 100m.

To his credit, after having to make up and cover so much ground, Kingston’s Here kept coming well enough to claim second spot, but he was, understandably, pretty much one-paced late and never looked like getting to the Geran trained winner.

Mahbaby ... twenty-three starts ... seven wins ... ten places ... and $270 875 banked in prize-money.

That’s pretty useful stats.

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