SNOWFIRE THE LASTEST IN A LONG LINE OF 'NEW' HORSES SCORING AN EARLY WIN FOR THE SEARS STABLE

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, April 20, 2022

The Tony and Maddysen Sears training partnership have a made a habit of landed an early win with horses that transfer to their stable and they were on the mark again when the five-year-old chestnut Snowfire saluted in a Class 5 Handicap over 1350m at Ipswich on April 20.

This was only Snowfire’s second run for the Sears stable after relocating from Team Hawkes in Sydney.

In his first start in Queensland, Snowfire was taken straight to town where he raced in a BM72 Handicap over 1200m at Doomben on April 9.

He was first up there, after a break of five months away from racing and was arguably racing over a distance short of his best … so it was best not to read too much into that run where he finished down the field.

Just eleven days later … second up and fitter for that first up experience … chasing over a more favourable distance (up from 1200m to 1350m) and facing less formidable opposition, it was no surprise to see Snowfire’s price more than halved from his first up run to being second up ($18 to $7.50) and it equally no surprise to witness an improved performance.

In a hectic start with a number of runners vying for the early lead, jockey Kyle Wilson-Taylor held his ground to eventually allow Snowfire to settle into fourth place, two wide, a couple of lengths off a strong speed in in the early part.

That margin behind the leader increased to just over four lengths going down the back straight and in the start of the sweep to the home turn as the Samantha Collett on the $13 chance Pivotal Motion really put her foot on the accelerator, trying to steal the race from the front … and she looked a fair chance of doing that when she brought the field into the home straight.

Wilson-Taylor had started to get to work on Snowfire in the approach to the home turn and the Sears trained runner was closer now , just two-and-a-half lengths back and three wide on cornering, but Pivotal Motion was still in full cry up front.

Halfway up the straight it looked like staying that way but, after running on in steady but unspectacular fashion in the first half of the home straight, Snowfire suddenly found an extra gear and began making significant inroads into Pivotal Motion’s lead.

The question then became on of whether the post would come too soon but, as it turned out, the Snowfire’s challenge had been perfectly launched and the Star Witness gelding arrived with a flourish to reel in Pivotal Motion a stride and a half from the line and land a well-judged victory.

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