Jason Attard almost pulled the pin when he went to inspect a filly with first-time clients Bruce and Di Spiteri. The talented young Hawkesbury trainer thankfully didn’t – and was rewarded on his home track on Thursday when she made a winning debut. Racing as Kitty’s Own, the Rothesay three-year-old snatched a last-stride victory in the Sydney Polo Club Provincial & Country Maiden Plate (1300m). Well-supported to start at $3.80, Kitty’s Own beat Greater Good ($3.10 favourite) and Image Neat ($3.80). Attard this evening related how he nearly changed his mind about buying the filly for his new owners. “One of our closest neighbours, Tony Usher, knew Bruce and Di were looking to become involved in a racehorse and recommended they come and meet me,” Attard said. “I had picked out this filly and took Bruce and Di to have a look at her at Carramar Park at Grose Wold. “When they brought her out, my first impression was that she looked like a colt and I said that wasn’t the horse we had come to inspect. After being assured Kitty’s Own was indeed the filly we wanted to see, we went ahead and purchased her. She was pretty impressive.” Attard has been patient with Kitty’s Own (named after Spiteri’s late aunt) and didn’t race her as a two-year-old. Whilst he had confidence in both the filly and rider Jay Ford, he wasn’t overly confident she could make a winning debut. “I just wasn’t so sure about her today, and that win is a real bonus,” he said. “I’ll probably spell her now because I feel she is going to be even better next preparation. Being out of a Galileo mare, she has the breeding to manage up to 2000m at least.” Unfortunately, Bruce Spiteri wasn’t on course to witness Kitty’s Own win at her first start. He was thousands of kilometres away in London on business – but didn’t altogether miss the result. “Bruce got up early in London and rang his wife Di and listened to the broadcast of the race on the phone,” Attard said. Fellow Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup pulled the right rein by putting blinkers on solidly-backed $2.40 favourite Dancers (Christian Reith), who took the Coca Cola Amatil Class 1 Handicap (1400m). Dancers finished strongly to defeat Aurora Rose ($10) and Tutu ($2.70). The latter raced erratically in the straight after looking a likely winner on straightening. She was somewhat difficult for her apprentice rider Blaike McDougall to control, and stewards advised trainer John Thompson they were placing a warning on her in respect to her racing manners. “I thought early in the race I had done the wrong thing putting blinkers on Dancers because she wanted to over-race,” Widdup said. “But she has done a good job to win, and is improving with each run. “Dancers is still doing some things wrong, and I’ll have a think about what to do with her. We may give her a break.” View the full results with race replays for Hawkesbury here
