Star filly Blame It On Me staked her claim on next week's $50,000 Bandbox Stakes final with a soft win in her heat at Mowbray on Sunday night.
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The Doug Nettlefold-trained three-year-old went to the line in cruise mode as she scored by just over 3m in a 2:00.51 mile rate, running her last 800m in 57.48 and last 400m in 27.9.
Blame It On Me won the two-year-old equivalent of the Bandbox last season but lost the race when she tested positive to arsenic after chewing treated pine fencing.
She started from the second row on Sunday night but driver Natalee Emery got a dream run through early to settle in third place.
She eventually worked to the death, outside Tasmanian Oaks winner A Spanish Dance who had to work early to find the lead.
A Spanish Dance, who was resuming, understandably tired in the run home.
The first heat was won by the Kate MacLeod-trained Machbev in a much slower overall time but that was irrelevant given the race was run at a farcical pace.
Machbev ran her last 800m in a comparable 58.61 and was having only her second start after a lengthy spell.
TASMANIAN Derby winner Micton Mouse returned from Victoria to lead all the way in the second heat of the $50,000 Globe Derby Stakes.
It was a tough performance by the John Nicholson-trained gelding who looked under siege in the home straight but fought off Kuzma and Kivik to score by a half neck.
The Todd Rattray-trained and driven Kohanah enjoyed a nice run before finishing over the top of his rivals in the first heat.
Kosimo, who loomed as the likely winner in the home straight, was a game second with odds-on favourite Watchmylips fading to third after leading.
CALL ME HECTOR was again too quick for his rivals in the Free-For-All, leading virtually all the way for his 20th career win.
Driver Troy McDonald found the front soon after the start and the Matthew Cooper-trained five-year-old carved out the 2200m in 1:57.15 mile rate.
He returned closing sectionals of 56.58 and 28.75.
Ignatius sat outside him for the last 1500m but couldn't run him down, failing by just under 5m, with rank outsider Murry 10m away third.
RESULTS
1- BANDBOX HT1: 4.40 Machbev (K MacLeod R Duggan) 1, 4.40 Spooky Girl 2, 3.20 Radiant Red 3. 1/2 nk, 4m. 2:05.5.
2- 2YO: 26.00 Sweet Amour (C Crook R Hillier) 1, 7.00 Jack James 2, 1.55f Demand Respect 3. 2m, 0.6m. 1:58.6.
3- GLOBE DERBY HT1: 7.50 Kohanah (t/d T Rattray) 1, 12.00 Kosimo 2, 1.30f Watchmylips 3. 3.8m, 6.6m. 1:58.99.
4- NR 56-63: 5.50 Scotlynn Beach (Mark Jones Malcolm Jones) 1, 19.00 Devil Of Tyne 2, 4.20 Lord Stark 3. 1.2m, 2.2m. 1:59.2.
5- NR 64-79: 3.40f Believe In Forever (G Smith R Hillier) 1, 10.00 Tally Operator 2, 31.00 Rowley 3. 3.1m, 3.9m. 1:58.48.
6- FFA: 2.15 Call Me Hector (M Cooper T McDonald) 1, 2.00f Ignatius 2, 151.00 Murry 3. 4.6m, 10m. 1:57.15.
7- BANDBOX HT2: 1.50f Blame It On Me (D Nettlefold N Emery) 1, 3.40 Better Amour 2, 101.00 Kabibi 3. 3.2m, 6.2m. 2:00.51.
8- GLOBE DERBY HT2: 1.95f Micton Mouse (J Nicholson D Ford) 1, 23.00 Kuzma 2, 2.40 Kivik 3. 1/2 nk, lng nk. Time unavailable.
9- NR 45-55: 17.00 Arctic (C Miller B Miller) 1, 3.50f Emjays Black Chip 2, 15.00 Topzavski 3. 1/2 hd, 1.5m. 2:02.8.