Track specialist Winning Ways salutes for the locals with a gutsy win in the Listed $125,000 Johnnie Walker Gold Coast Bracelet (1800m) at the Gold Coast today and will train on for the Queensland Oaks.
Kerrin McEvoy, above, was aboard the beaten favourite Word For Word who finished second to Winning Ways in the Gold Coast Bracelet at the Gold Coast. Photo by Daniel Costello.
Winning Ways made it four wins from six starts on her home track at the Gold Coast and keep her 1800m record intact with her fourth win at the distance.
Gold Coast trainer Garry Newham said the Winning Ways will now continued towards a start in the Group 1 $500,000 Treasury Brisbane Queensland Oaks (2200m) at Doomben on June 1 and will have her next start in the Group 2 $200,000 The Roses (2000m) at Doomben on May 18.
“She will take the Roses – Oaks path,” Newham said.
“The further she goes the better she will go.”
“She loves the wet and I told him (jockey Matt McGillivray) to be positive on her and he rode her am absolute treat he did.”
“She was just travelling so easy.”
Winning Ways’ victory in the Gold Coast Bracelet has seen her price for the Queensland Oaks tumble in from $21 to $10 with Ladbrokes.com.au.
Winning Ways was sent out at the double figure odds of $17 even though she was chasing a hat trick after wins at her last two starts at the Gold Coast and at Eagle Farm.
The Declaration Of War filly handled the heavy conditions to perfection to down the $3.30 favourite Word For Word with the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace trained Etana ($11) running on for third.
