MAYA BAY SCORES A WELCOME WIN FOR TEAM SEARS

By Graham Potter | Thursday, December 23, 2021

After a frustrating run of seconds by the Tony and Maddysen Sears training partnership, the four-year-old gelding Maya Bay put the stable back in the winner’s enclosure with a win in a BM 70 Handicap over 1100m at Toowoomba on December 23.

The son of Headwater started as a clearcut favourite at $1.55, but his mind had to be kept on the job by Andrew Mallyon in the run home as the Kevin Kemp Aluf threatened to make a race of it.

Maya Bay landed in the leading line before settled in a close up third spot, just two lengths off the leader Aluf ($8), as the field went down the back stretch. Aluf still held sway approaching the home turn but Maya Bay was now up to second and perfectly poised to strike.

Mallyon wasted little time in pushing Maya Bay up alongside the long-time leader early in the straight, but Aluf still had some fight left in him and, while Maya Bay was arguably always going the better of the two runners, it did take the chestnut gelding a good part of the straight to completely assert his authority.

It was only inside the final 100m that Maya Bay began to edge away to win by a one length margin.

This was Maya Bay’s fourth win from only twelve starts and he also has four second place finishes to his credit. He has won from 1000m to 1300m and has won on both good and soft going.

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