By Jonny Turner
It might have been freezing, but it didn’t matter to Kirstin Green who made the most of her catch drive behind Vessem when winning the Group 2 Kindergarten Stakes at Wyndham.
The skies above Young Quinn Raceway were angry on Thursday, but the plummeting temperatures and sticky track only made Vessem’s performance more impressive.
Despite sitting parked throughout the time-honoured juvenile feature, the Mark and Nathan Purdon trained pacer held out the late finish of his stablemate Major Hot to extend the All Stars stable’s incredible record in the race.
Though she was caught parked, Green had control of the pace throughout as she ranged Vessem up outside the leader Sodoyahavtime.
And while sitting in the chair, the winner was not worried at all.
“He was quite happy – he caught me by surprise with how laid back he was,” Green said.
“Olivia (Thornley) did warn me, but he got quite keen behind the gate and I thought he would pop across to the top quite easily.”
“But he just relaxed a little bit too soon.”
“The track was probably a bit better one off the rail, so we weren’t worried about being there.”
“You know Mark and Nathan’s ones are extremely fit so you don’t have to worry too much.”
Green’s win with Vessem was her second win in the Kindergarten Stakes.
The reinswoman also drove El Nino to win the two-year-old event in 2009.
Just a neck separated Major Hot and Vessem at the finish with the runner-up following his stablemate throughout.
Vessem’s victory gave the All Stars stable six consecutive Kindergarten Stakes and 10 wins in the last 11 editions of the race.
Gore trainer Syd Breen got a timely boost and reached a milestone with the win of Sagwitch in race 2
The veteran pacer led for driver Max Hill and the pair set up a strong tempo which never gave their rivals a look in.
The victory was win number 11 for the nine-year-old Sagwitch and career win 50 for Breen, and it came at the perfect time for the trainer.
“He has been a great old mate to me,” Breen said.
“I have been in hospital twice in the last three weeks, I started off with Covid, then I got clots on my lungs.”
“I have been going pretty average.”
Breen credited his owners Stevie Heads and Brian McLennan for helping with his horses while he was recuperating.
