IT'SMEMARIO MAKES IT THREE WINS AT TOOWOOMBA

By Graham Potter | Saturday, August 3, 2024

It’smemario made it two wins and two third placings in his last four starts when he claimed a BM68 Handicap over 1300m at Toowoomba on August 3 ... his third career win.

All three of It’smemario’s wins have come at Toowoomba and he was again very much at home here in his familiar home base surroundings, although he was made to work to make it two successive wins at the track.

On the back of his consistent form leading into to the race, the Corey and Kylie Geran trained son of Brave Smash did start favourite at $2.05. He did have a market rival in the form of Talana ($2.70), but all of the other seven runners were at double figure odds and not expected to pose any threat.

Landan Sykes, who was riding It’smemario for the first time, had the Geran trained runner some four lengths off the lead in the early part, racing in fifth place along the rail.

That deficit blew out to seven lengths early in the sweep to the home run as the leaders tried to skip away and put the pressure on the chasers.

The inside run had its benefits as Sykes slowly improved his position in the approach to the home turn, switching one out to straighten in fourth place with still a little over three lengths to make up.

It’smemario’s run home was not going to be pretty.

He took a while to gather momentum and, just as he was starting unleash, a movement of horses in front of him, which included the favourite Talana, forced the Geran trained runner inwards off his line, but such was his intent at that stage that he was hardly inconvenienced and he proceeded to kick on strongly and hit the line hard.

He needed to ... as the $21 outsider Coburg was flying down the centre of the track, closing ground with every stride.

It’smemario couldn’t afford to blink ... and he didn’t ... clinging to his advantage long enough to ward off the faster finishing Coburg by 0.20 lengths.

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