WESLEY Vale trainer John Keys can only wonder how good Volcanic Sky might have been had her career not been interrupted by injury.
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The rising five-year-old missed more than a year due to bone chips in her knees and was having only her 10th start when she easily won the Think Pink Cup at Mowbray yesterday.
``She's won four races, which is still a good record, but she looked like being anything early on,'' Keys said.
Due to her leg problems, Keys keeps Volcanic Sky away from hard surfaces and limits her trackwork.
``She needs to be kept fresh and we don't do much with her between races,'' the trainer said.
Three of Volcanic Sky's wins have been on wet tracks and jockey Jason Lyon reported that she again revelled in the heavy conditions yesterday.
``She's loves the wet and did it easily,'' Lyon said.
Keys said that with most of the upcoming meetings at Spreyton, he may look ``further afield'' for Volcanic Sky's next start.
``We have dodged Spreyton so far because we thought it may have been too hard on her legs,'' the trainer said.
Keys also won The Examiner Pink Ribbon Breakfast Maiden with Spirit Of Nia who turned out to be Anthony Darmanin's last ride for the day.
Spirit Of Nia threw Darmanin after passing the winning post and the jockey was stood down with a leg injury.
The incident didn't surprise Keys who said that the three-year-old filly was ``hard work'' due to her poor temperament.
``We've always had high hopes for her because she's out of a half sister to Lady Lynette, but she's taken time,'' the trainer said.
The Think Pink Cup was the feature race on a day devoted to fund-raising for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
A big crowd attended and organisers expected fund-raising to reach $20,000.
Still no fan
AVENTADOR was popular with punters after he narrowly won the Class 1 Handicap but still hasn't won over his Longford trainer Dylan Clark.
Clark said that the four-year-old had a poor attitude and was difficult to like.
``I have to ride him trackwork myself because no-one else wants to get on him,'' the trainer said.
Apprentice Hayley McCarthy took over the reins yesterday and gave the well-backed $4.30 favourite a nice run just off the pace before overhauling Triple Bee to score by a head.
Clark, who races Aventador on lease with four partners, said that the Azevedo gelding would now have a break.
``He'll probably go out now until racing comes back to Mowbray'' the trainer said.
Mowbray hosts its last meeting for the season next Sunday then goes into recess until October 8.
Fast enough
LATROBE trainer Andrew Moore holds no illusions about the ability of Class 1 Plate winner Make Us Richo who broke his maiden status at his 31st start.
``He's probably the slowest horse in Australia _ he can run 14 seconds to the furlong and no faster,'' Moore said.
``But he can run at that pace all day on heavy tracks.''
With that in mind, Moore has his sights on a 3100-metre race at Warrnambool if Make Us Richo runs well again at Mowbray next Sunday.
Kim Moore gave the five-year-old a gun run just behind the leaders in yesterday's 2100m race and he drew clear in the straight to score by almost nine lengths.
``He loves these conditions and, if he couldn't win today, his chances might have passed him by,'' Moore said.
Make Us Richo was having his 13th start since being purchased by Moore and several co-owners.
``I bought him sight unseen and I won't be doing that again _ he's got that many back problems,'' the trainer said.