By Isaac Murphy
Three-year-old stayer Miss Sara started her prep for Les Ross with an innocuous fifth at Toowoomba on the 15th of October last year.
From those humble beginnings the filly has steadily built her form through the Eagle Way Stayers Series and came into today’s Benchmark 75 Handicap over the 2200m searching for a hattrick of wins after successive front running performances at Doomben and Beaudesert.
“We got a little bit of inside info from the jocks today that they were going to take her on for the front,” Ross said.
“We weren’t too bothered to sit just off them and let her use her sustained run and turn it into a real staying test.”
“I knew we probably had the fittest filly in the race so even with the speed battle I knew she’d keep fighting and came out on top.”
With the win the filly has taken her career earnings to over $300,000 including $68,400 in QTIS bonuses, a staggering result for the stable and ownership as Ross picked the filly up for $12,000 at the 2017 Magic Millions March Sales.
“She’s a tough filly, the only thing I’m still dirty about is paying that extra $2000 for her,” Ross laughed.
“Eugene Nolan who has been a long-term client of mine was doing the bidding for me I couldn’t make it down there for the 11 AM start.”
“I strictly told him we had a $10,000 limit, but fortunately for me he didn’t listen to me.”
The Eagle Way Stayers Series was set up to give trainers an idea on their three-year-old’s potential Winter campaign’s and Ross said the filly would most likely take a spell until the carnival.
“She’s been up for a long time now, we’ll take her to the paddock now and bring her back for the winter.”
“Whether that’s in races like the Oaks and the Derby she’ll tell us that, but she’s trending in the right direction.”