By Glenn Davis
A last-minute decision to start Daunting Princess in the Ladbrokes Battle Of The Bush qualifier at Bundaberg on Saturday could lead to trainer Mary Hassam’s biggest ever pay day in June.
Daunting Princess - an Adam Spinks mount – was set to head to the paddock before Hassam‘s late call to start the five-year-old in the Ladbrokes Battle Of The Bush qualifier over 1212 metres.
“I was going to send her to the paddock after her last run but I didn’t realise this Bundy meeting was so close so I thought she might as well have a go at it,” Hassam said.
“I don’t like backing horses up but she’s on her home track and I thought we might as well have a go.
“If she happens to win we might go for the Final but it's a bloomin’ hard race and some good horses are in it.”
The $200,000 Ladbrokes Battle Of The Bush Final will be run on Tatt’s Tiara day at Eagle Farm on June 29.
Daunting Princess was beaten half-a-length when second to the Kym Afford-trained Amphawa in an 850 metre Benchmark 60 race at Gympie last Saturday.