NEW JOY STRIKES AT $61

By Graham Potter | Monday, January 1, 2024

New years’ day 2024 – Toowoomba Turf Club – the day of the second running of The King Of The Mountain.

That big race would the way of the $1.80 favourite Rothfire, but the Michael Nolan trained New Joy made a statement of her own on the undercard in a Maiden Handicap over 1300m, thumbing her nose at those who dismissed her chance and put her aside as unwanted in the betting at $61 (ok, she did shorten from $71 to $61, but few were taking her seriously).

As it turned out, they were too quick to judge.

The chestnut had only had two runs going into this race ... both unplaced, but with the difference being that she finished nearly ten lengths back on debut and improved that statistic to finishing just three lengths behind the winner in her second start, which suggested she was building both race fitness as well as obvious race experience as she settled into her career.

There was a subtle step up in distance here (from 1200m to 1300m). Punters might have taken that on board as an ‘unknown’ while the fact that New Joy would jump from a wide outside draw (eleven out of twelve) would also have counted against her in any pre-race debate.

Bubba Tilley pushed New Joy out from her wide gate and, although held wide early, he kept New Joy striding forward until she was able to get in and settle one off the fence in a close-up second place just a length off the lead.

At the point of the home turn Tilley moved New Joy up to challenge the long-time leader I Want That Man ($17) who cried enough with 200m left to run ... but, when New Joy hit the front, she immediately came under pressure herself as the $2.45 favourite Unleash ranged into contention along her outside.

With 100m to go it had become a straight two-horse contest with Unleash threatening to go past New Joy with every stride but with New Joy knuckling down to her task, simply refusing to be beaten ... and that is how it stayed to the line where New Joy secured a 0.30 length winning margin.

This was a really tough win in a particularly intense final chase to the line ... New Joy and Unleash actually did brush just inside the 200m mark ... but New Joy’s bold effort had put her first win on the board, coming in her third career start.

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