Trainer David Hill’s home-bred Lady Liberty finally got off the mark at her 21st outing on Friday night.
After showing promise early doors, the five-year-old mare by Showcasing out of Hill’s resident broodmare Native Nickel did not quite live up to expectations subsequently.
Her rating started to plummet, and just when Hill was losing hope he would see another one of Native Nickel’s foals win a race at Kranji after Chyna Pearl, Seasons Echo and Cordoba, Lady Liberty started to turn her form around back in March.
After three creditable placings, that elusive moment in the sun finally happened in Friday’s $35,000 Class 5 race over 1700m.
After being tucked away in third on the rails for that ideal economical run, Lady Liberty pounced to the front once jockey Vlad Duric popped the question to her upon straightening.
In one fell swoop, the $18 favourite shot to the front, and while the backmarkers like Holy Grail (Alan Munro) and Speedy Warrior (John Sundradas) tried very hard to cut her back, she fought gamely to score by just under two lengths from Holy Grail.
Cliff Brown’s new apprentice Nuh Komari must be given due credit for his third place – his second in 11 rides - aboard Super Buffalo. After sitting on the girth of the leader Phanfone (Mohd Zaki) for most of the way, the O’Reilly four-year-old looked like he had retired of the race when the swoopers descended, but he actually raised another gallop inside the last 250m to run third another half-a-length away.
The winning time was 1min 46.61secs for the 1700m on the Polytrack.
But all honours to Lady Liberty and Hill as it has been a longer road to that elusive first win than expected, and the deadlock is finally broken.
“She had things her way tonight. She box-seated and she just kept trying when she hit the front,” said the English trainer.
“She is such an honest mare, it is well deserved. Vlad rode her very well, too.
“I bred and own her, just like her other half-brothers Seasons Echo and Cordoba and half-sister Chyna Pearl. So, I’m very happy she’s finally won a race.”
Hill’s joy actually trebled up as he went on to make it a rare hat-trick of wins to win hands down the trainer’s challenge. The former Hong Kong-based trainer had two events earlier saddled Evertrust (Wong Chin Chuen, $33) to a win before Clarton Super (Azhar Ismail, $13) claimed the $60,000 Class 4 Division 1 race over 1100m two races after Lady Liberty.
As for Duric, who does not often get booked by Hill, but was at his second association with Lady Liberty, he also gave the mare a good wrap.
“She’s a lovely honest mare even if she’s fairly limited,” said the leading Australian jockey.
“They found the right race for her tonight, and she gave me a beautiful ride. She did it nicely.”
Even though she was only breaking her duck on Friday night, her previous four seconds and three thirds have gone a long way in taking her earnings close to the $80,000 mark for Hill’s Lady Luck Stable.
