Smart staying mare Dashing Duchess recorded her fifth victory at start number 11 with a strong performance to land the Domsafe Handicap (2500m) at The Valley on Saturday.
The Symon Wilde-trained daughter of Tavistock sat handy to a solid tempo set by Golden Crusader and put her rivals to the sword early under jockey Mark Zahra to hold game runner-up Brilliant Venture by a comfortable two lengths.
The five-year-old mare had previously been beaten by stablemate Hit The Road Jack in the Deane Lester Flemington Cup (2800m), with Wilde adamant that rain on the day had contributed to her defeat on that occasion.
“I thought she might have been going a little bit quick, but that’s why you put Mark Zahra on,” Wilde said.
“I do think the better ground today was a big factor. Had it not rained so much at Flemington, she might have turned the tables on the other one.
“I think she showed her toughness today too. She’s building a really good record. She’s very lightly raced and there’s not much of her.
“I don’t even know why I bought her. She’s got a sway back and she’s got long woolly hair on her now and she’s really no supermodel, but she can really gallop.”
Dashing Duchess contested the Listed Andrew Ramsden (2800m) at Flemington earlier this year and finished seventh in the win and you’re in race for the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m).
“We did have a roll of the dice in the Ramsden and it just came up a bit early for her, but I think that’s her level,” Wilde said.
“I think she’s a Group class staying mare. She definitely fits that category and I’ll be interested to see where she gets to.
“They just keep getting better, these sort of horses, and she’s tracking the right way at the moment.”
Dashing Duchess is by Tavistock out of the Red Ransom mare Charlotte Russe. She was offered by Westbury Stud in Book 1 of Karaka 2021, where she was passed in with an $80,000 reserve before she sold to Wilde at the Sydney two-year-old sale for $125,000.
