Volpe Risorsa easily
Promising mare Volpe Risorsa made it two wins from as many starts this preparation with a comprehensive victory at Warracknabeal on Tuesday, September 20.
Jockey Dean Holland picked up the winning ride in the Elders Horsham Benchmark 58 Handicap (1200m) after Mitch Aitken was injured in a trackwork accident earlier in the day.
Trained by Tony & Calvin McEvoy, Volpe Risorsa was placed at all three starts in her first campaign but has showed improvement after a break.
A $4.80 chance, Volpe Risorsa scored by 1-1/4 lengths from Fiorente Spritz ($6) with Sugar And Sweet ($2.70 fav), 1-3/4 lengths away third.
Holland had the four-year-old mare away well and chose to sit outside the leader in the run to the home turn.
In the home straight the daughter of Foxwedge bounded away to win comfortably.
Stable foreman Finn McCarthy said Volpe Risorsa was a definite improver.
“She is a big mare that takes a bit of work,” McCarthy said.
“She had trained on well since that first up win.
“Volpe Risorsa had a bit of a break from that first run for the 1200 today and she has run well.
“The mare will be better over a bit further and she has run up to a mile (1600m) so far.
“A shout out to Mitch Aitken who was to ride her today but unfortunately hurt his shoulder this morning during trackwork. He has done a lot of work with this mare.
“Early on she was a quite a hot kind of filly but now she has got a bit older she is starting to relax a lot more and it gives her every chance.”
Winning jockey Dean Holland also wished a speedy return for Aitken.
“My mate Mitch and I were riding a few babies this morning and he had a ‘gutsa’ so he couldn’t ride Volpe Risorsa today so it was a lucky pick up ride for me.
“When he was on the ground I asked if he had any good rides today and he said this one so I made sure I got on her.
“We rode her like the best horse today.
“Calvin (McEvoy) said just keep her out of trouble.
“To be honest I could have taken the one-one sit, but I thought there were a few slow ones out wide coming across so I wanted to keep them out and ride her like the best horse.
“Once she felt a challenger on the home turn, she attacked the line strongly.”