By David Nagel
Pakenham’s Christmas in July meeting resembled more of a Northern Hemisphere version on Sunday with bitterly cold conditions greeting the brave participants and spectators in attendance.
Picture-perfect snow could not have been too far away as the thermometer crashed its way down into single figures.
But the freezing cold conditions could not stop jockey Zac Spain from producing a hot-hand, riding an early treble to break the maiden status of the first three winners on the card.
Spain started the day by giving Seymour-trainer Penny Reeve an early thrill by giving her five-year-old gelding Johnny Reb a perfect ride to win the $23,000 Maiden Plate over 1600-metres.
This was a win that was a long time coming for both horse and trainer, with Johnny Reb saluting at start 22.
Remarkably, it was also Reeve’s first winner in 74 starts with the part-time trainer last visiting the winner’s stall when Bayfury won at Bendigo all the way back in August 2014.
Almost seven years to the day since that last win, Reeve would have been delighted with the ride of Spain, who produced classic tactics to take home the victory.
Settling one-out-one-back, Spain peeled three wide at the 600-metre mark and rounded up the leaders quickly, racing away with victory like a good thing. Johnny Reb wasn’t a good thing pre-post however, starting at $41 to give bookmakers the perfect start to the day.
Johnny Reb thoroughly deserved his breakthrough win after being nosed-out at Yarra Valley in December last year.
Spain then turned his attention to the Flemington yard of trainer Steve Richards, piloting his three-year-old gelding Kermalaw to an impressive win in the Maiden Plate over 1400-metres.
Spain was at his patient best on the son of Kermadec/Lawmaker, settling last over the first 1000-metres of the race before bringing Kermalaw to the outside of the field on the home turn.
Kermalaw produced a cracking last two furlongs, rattling home from out wide to race away to a soft one-length victory.
Kermalaw put the writing on the wall at his last start, running second at Ballarat on June 20.
Spain then produced the ride of the day to give John Sadler’s three-year-old filly Wyld Savanna her first win from nine starts in the Maiden Plate over 1200-metres.
Spain held his spot from gate one, sitting one pair back on the rail, before staying nailed to the fence in the home straight to win running away by almost four lengths on the line.
Wyld Savanna, the daughter of Starspangledbanner/Grise Leigh, did not go around a horse to give Spain the third leg of his treble.
Spain rode a copybook race to win the opener, came from last to complete his double, and then gave his fellow riders a masterclass to boot home his treble.
This was definitely a day for the Zac Spain scrapbook.
Cranbourne trainers Chris Hyland and Gavin Bedggood also prepared winners on the seven-race program, with Manhattan Sting and Moss Job winning respectively, while Foster-trainer Ken Fythe blew quaddie punters out of the water when Akhurst saluted in the second leg at the massive odds of $41.
Not to be out-done, Moe trainer Michael Templeton then produced the rough result for the day when Pannier Dame scored an upset victory in the $22,000 0-58 Handicap (1400m).
The four-year-old mare sent punters scurrying for their race books, winning at $91 and holding off the $3.70 race favourite, Rhode Scholar, by a length on the line.
The win was Pannier Dame’s second from 17 starts and followed up a breakthrough triumph at Werribee on December 30 last year.
Racing returns to the Pakenham synthetic track this Saturday, 10 July, for a Winter Racing Day meeting.
