A SAME DAY, THREE VENUE TREBLE FOR SEARS RACING

By Graham Potter | Saturday, November 5, 2022

While Yellow Brick and Red Wave shone the light for the Tony and Maddysen Sears training partnership with metropolitan wins on successive Saturdays on October 29 and November 5, not all horses can compete at that level with some are in various stages of their career.

The trainer’s job is to place their horses of varying ability wherever they have their best chance of finding success … and, on the basis, the Sears camp had no hesitation in sending the well named grey filly White Chocolate to a non-tab meeting at Chinchilla and letting Sequesay compete at the Provincial meeting at their home track at Toowoomba … both on the same day that Red Wave saluted in town (November 5).

Good placement breeds good results … and that’s how the Sears team came away with three winners, across three different grades at three different racetracks on the day.
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White Chocolate was actually the first cab off the rank on November 5, chasing home to a 0.25 length victory at a starting price of $1.95 in a Maiden Plate over 1030m at Chinchilla.

The daughter of Mahisara was always in contention, but at no stage bar the final strides did she actually look like the winner.

Apprentice Sariah Champkin had White Chocolate, who was having her first run as a three-year-old and only her third career start, racing just outside the leader in the early part … and then in-between runners in a leading line of three approaching the home turn.

The $3.25 second favourite Rapalong, a four-year-old with greater race experience than White Chocolate, looked to have taken the measure of the Sears trained runner as he surged to the front early in the home straight, but White Chocolate stuck to what appeared to be a lost cause and, when Rapalong shifted in markedly and lost ground inside the final 150m … and then was still a bit wayward going to the line after that … White Chocolate had the momentum to get up and snatch the race away Rapalong and claim the first victory of her short career.
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Then Red Wave provided the second leg of a multi-venue race-day treble (see separate story) before the action move to the night meeting at Toowoomba where Sequesay rounded off a day of celebration for the Sears stable by winning a BM70 Handicap over 870m.

The Rothesay mare did salute by the narrowest of margins … but who has ever cared about how much you win by!

Sequesay had been warming up for a win having finished third and then second in her two starts leading into this race, but the market indicated she had one to beat in the form of Elegist who started as the hot favourite at $1.45 with Sequesay jumping at a starting price of $4.

These two runners were the only two horses quoted under the $10 price mark, with the betting suggesting they would have the race to themselves … and that’s exactly how the race panned out.

Sequesay, who jumped from the number one gate, made every use of her inside barrier draw, streaking into an early lead under the guidance of Stephanie Lacy as Elegist dropped back to the rear of the field, racing some four length behind the Sears trained runner.

Sequesay was not seriously challenged up front and she held a comfortable lead coming to the home turn … and she kicked on well on straightening.

At that stage Elegist was still some four lengths back and he still had to plot a path in-between runners before he could find clear galloping room … and all the while Sequesay was making a beeline for home.

When Elegist did get out, the Mark Currie trained runner quickly built momentum and was flying late, closing rapidly on Sequesay with every stride, but the post arrived too soon for the favourite to be able to change the result as Lacy kept Sequesay going to claim her fourth career victory from only nine starts … a great strike rate.

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