A marker and a whiteboard were used to illustrate a race plan which was successfully deployed on Tori’s Dee who broke new ground with his first win over 1200 metres.
Stawell based apprentice Chelsea Thompson who has won on the pony-sized grey at his last three starts travelled to Emsley Lodge last Saturday where trainer Jamie Edwards explained the tactics for Tuesday’s Hamilton assignment.
“Jamie talked me through it on Saturday, and we went and sat at the whiteboard, and he marked it all out for me, so I had a good idea of what the plan was, and it worked out perfectly,” Chelsea said.
“The 1200 was a query as he hasn’t gone great over that distance in the past but even when they came to him late, he fought on and through the wet ground.”
Tori’s Dee ($4.40) settled two lengths in front in the six-horse field and withstood a strong home straight challenge Scared Fort ($6) to score a three-quarter length victory in the John, Ruth and Leo Roberts Memorial 0-62 Hcp.
He was the second leg of a winning double for the stable after Colt Forty Five, ridden by Teo Nugent, won his maiden earlier in the day while it was also a big day for Chelsea who rode her first evert double at the meeting.
Jamie said Chelsea’s execution of the race plan on Tori’s Dee was faultless.
“She had to get the first bit of the race right and as I was watching, I’m saying, ‘back off, back off, and she backed off.
“It was all about getting the middle part of the race right and then she came down the hill and waited and then had a good kick. She really rated him.”
Chelsea has ridden five of her six winners for Emsley Lodge and Jamie predicts she has a bright future.
“There’s heaps of these three-kilo claiming kids, but she gets the speed right, and I don’t know if you can teach that,” Jamie said.
Tori’s Dee and Chelsea have proven a formidable combination and together have taken off at different stages of their careers.
Niggling issues threatened to end of Tori’s Dee’s career with him finishing last or near last in most of his nine starts last campaign, but he has perked up since partnering with Chelsea who has ridden him five times for three wins and two close-up results.
He has won eight of his 37 starts and $157,865 in prizemoney while Chelsea has had 44 race rides with six winners from her last 19.