He is 10 years old and has already been retired once but Washies Chance showed there was still some life in his old legs when he put up a big performance to win the Maxfield Drilling Claimer in Devonport on Friday night.
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After being shuffled back towards the rear of the field, driver Natalee Emery worked around three wide and came five wide on the home turn before scoring by two metres from Williamtell with Wrongly Accused six metres away third.
Trainer Ben Yole explained that Washies Chance was on his second stint with his stable.
“We won a race with him before but he broke down about two years ago and his owners took him back to Victoria,” Yole said.
“They retired him but, after having 12 months off, his legs came good and they put him in some claimers over there.
“But he did no good so they sent him back to me for another go.”
Washies Chance has now won two of his past three starts and Yole can see no reason why he can’t score again.
“The reason we brought him back is because he’s got a good turn of foot,” the trainer said.
“A lot of these old claimers just whack away but he can sprint a bit.”
Washies Chance gave Emery a double in the first five races after she scored on the Andrew Thornton-trained Ideal Distraction in the Collins Homes Pace.
SPREYTON trainer Steve Davis continued his good run when Tambros Milly returned from a long layoff to win the Linx Coffee Van Pace.
Davis has also had success recently with Black Centurian, Ima Ginger Rogers and Modern Ruler.
Tambros Milly showed promise as a young horse but hadn’t raced for 14 months.
However she wasn’t lacking in fitness and was able to sit in the death before beating pacemaker Why Went Wrong and El Jays Monza.
DRIVER John Walters wasn’t worried when he landed in the death on the well-backed Barooga Buster in the Roberts Pace.
Despite a tough run, the Ian Abraham-trained gelding fought on gamely to score a narrow win over Red Sun Bliss.
“This horse will do that every day of the week,” Walters said.
“He’s tough and he just keeps going.
“He’s not a horse that can be driven with a sit.”
MARK YOLE was disappointed to lose the CUB Pace on protest after being first past the post on Faithful Jet.
Stewards upheld an objection from Todd Rattray, who drove runner-up Rainbow Phoenix, on the grounds of interference in the home straight.
Yole argued that he made every effort to straight his horse, there was no contact and Rattray didn’t have to stop driving.
However stewards ruled that Rainbow Phoenix had been forced to cover extra ground.
