By Mike Love
Dance Till Dawn is enjoying a purple patch of form right.
Yesterday the six-year-old mare made it two wins in a row for driver John Dunn and trainers Jenna and Robert Dunn by impressively taking out the Gallagher Insurance Ashburton Cup.
“They did run along a majority of the way. I didn’t have to cover any extra ground which was lucky,” said John Dunn.
Beginning well from their 10 metre handicap, Dance Till Dawn settled four back the markers and stayed there for the majority of the race. Pacemaker Cardi B broke the field up coming off the back straight leaving Dunn with an opportunity to get off the markers and begin a long sustained run to the line.
Tanzania looked a likely winner, but Dance Till Dawn proved too strong at the line to win by a neck with five and a half lengths back to a game Cardi B.
A slick overall time of 3:57.2 and a closing half in 56.3 shows the quality of the Art Major mare.
“She could’ve run a place in the big mares race a few starts back, but now she’s come out and won her next two, so it’s good for her.
“She’s fronted up right from a two-year-old. She’s fronted up against nice two and three-year-olds, and now the good mares. She deserves everything she gets,” said Dunn.
With the win, Dance Till Dawn made it two wins in a row after winning at Addington on February 14, and made it career win number 11 with over $280,000 in stakes.
Favourite Wish Me Luck settled just beyond midfield before getting into the one-one a lap out but faded as Dance Till Dawn and Tanzania cleared out from their rivals.
Other highlights on the programme included debutant Rogue Hero winning race one the Advanced Feed Trot for Ken Ford and Amanda Tomlinson, driven by Clint Ford. The three-year-old Marcoola gelding was the first winner for the sire. Blair Orange drove a treble with Topaz, Luna Dolce and Hilarious Love, with the latter two giving Graham Court a training double.
