Top: First starter Amberino holds out La Mamma Rosa to win the Class 1 Maiden at Pakenham at yesterday’s meeting.Brad Kingsbury
PAKENHAM racecourse hosted an eightrace midweek meeting on a good track and with a good crowd attending in perfect spring weather yesterday (Tuesday).
Several locally trained runners were engaged on the afternoon with John Leek’s lightly raced maiden Boardwalk Boy being the first Pakenham runner to compete on the day.
The fouryearold horse was having its third start and Leek said before the race that the distance range was perfect but the competition was good.
That proved to be the case when heavily backed favourite Light Vision proved itself a star of the future by winning the 2418metre event by more than five lengths, untouched by jockey Ryan Maloney.
Boardwalk Boy, ridden by experienced hoop Mark Flaherty, ground away to take third place behind Rodelinda, but finished almost 15 lengths behind the winner.
Earlier, first starter Amberino saluted in the opening event, downing Clint McDonald’s shortpriced favourite Gina Lollawitcha.
And McDonald’s luck proved to have completely deserted him later in the day when his oddson racethree fancy Obladee Obladah was scratched at the starting stalls by order of the stewards, leaving $3.70 chance Top Drawer to take out the race with an untroubled onpace run.
