ADALIE'S SLOW BUT SURE IMPROVEMENT

By Graham Potter | Sunday, June 11, 2023

Three runs in … and now it is one win on the board for the David Vandyke trained three-year-old Adalie after she got the chocolates in a Maiden Handicap over 1000m at the Sunshine Coast on June 11.

After an ordinary debut back on May 3 in town at Eagle Farm, the daughter of Exceed and Excel reverted to her home track at the Sunshine Coast where she showed good enough improvement in her second career start to claim a runner-up finish, albeit as a beaten $1.30 favourite when upstaged by a $31 outsider Toosey.

In theory, Adalie did have an excuse there as she had to be pushed out early from a wide, number ten barrier draw before going up to join Toosey, who had led from the break … and then arguably her inexperience counted against her as she chased Toosey all the way down the home straight, seemingly not a hundred percent certain of what was expected of her, although it should also be noted that Toosey did enjoy a 3kg advantage at the weights over the Vandyke trained runner.

Adalie’s third career start was always going to tell us more about where she stood in this early stage of her career.

This time Adalie jumped from barrier one and Ryan Maloney ensured that she benefitted from that advantage by pushing Adalie up to third place in the first half of the race, holding the rail position two lengths off the leader.

Maloney had Adalie hold station until the field straightened for home at which stage he marked time for a couple of strides, until the two leaders tried to kick away … their brisk, forward move presenting enough space for Adalie, with a marginal shift in line, to have a clear run to the line.

But, initially at least, it was no easy chase.

With 200m left to run Adalie was still two-and-a-half lengths off the frontrunner … sticking to her task.

That task was helped over the final stages by the fact that the two horses in front of Adalie both weakened in the run to the line, but it also should be noted that Adalie was ridden kindly by Ryan Maloney in the closing stages, going to the line with ears pricked … ticking off the box fir that important, first career win.

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