Good Morning Strikes another WA Win

22 May 2015

May 21, 2015

Jay Rooney

The West Australian

Waikato Stud’s decision to leave their Pins filly in Perth two years ago was music to Wally Mitchell’s ears.

The famed New Zealand stud called on Mitchell to train the filly when she fell short of a $30,000 reserve at the Magic Millions Perth yearling sale. The filly, Good Morning, carried Waikato’s colours to a gutsy win at Belmont Park yesterday.

“I’ve bought yearlings from them and sent mares to their stallions for a long time. This filly didn’t make her reserve so Mark (Chittick) asked me to train her,” Mitchell said.

“This is the first horse they’ve raced in Perth. Hopefully they send me another one.”

Good Morning led all the way for her second career victory in yesterday’s Westspeed Handicap (1200m) for fillies.

The three-year-old, a Bunbury maiden winner in March, fought off several challenges in the straight to score in a tight finish.

Jockey Shaun O’Donnell nursed Good Morning ($9) until the 200m and she boxed on strongly, holding off Sky Rhythm ($3.80 favourite) to win by a long head. Hopetoun finished third. The first five past the post were separated by three-quarters of a length.

Good Morning repaid Mitchell after giving him a few headaches recently. “She had a split frog after she won at Bunbury so I had to back off her but then she got fat,” Mitchell said.

“She was a bit underdone last start when she ran fourth.”

Mitchell will step Good Morning up to 1400m next start and consider her for the $100,000 WAROA Belmont Guineas (1600m), run on June 20.

Good Morning was the second of three winners in succession for O’Donnell yesterday.

Pirate’s Fortune started O’Donnell’s hat-trick, claiming a third straight win of his own in the Tabtouch Handicap (1200m).

O’Donnell later booted home Leonorasensation to an emphatic victory in the Westspeed Handicap (1200m) for colts and geldings. Apprentices Randy Tan and Kate Fitzgerald landed their first city wins on Foxalicious and Jestpatim.

Jay Rooney

The West Australian

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