Harry Coffey believes she may not have been at her absolute peak, but Precious Charm still managed to extend her outstanding summer with another feature race success at Geelong on Saturday.
The Symon Wilde-trained mare showed plenty of determination on a Good 3 surface to land a dramatic renewal of the $200,000 Coastal Classic (1700m).
The win came just four weeks after she dead-heated with Holymanz in the Werribee Cup, and Coffey felt the performance carried far more merit than the narrow head margin suggested.
“I don’t think she was at her best and she showed a real will to win,” Coffey said.
“She might have been feeling that firm ground on the back-up, so it took a lot of urging to get her to win, but she may have been looking after herself.
“That’s understandable, she’s done a great job, she’s been racing in true heart and this track’s starting to get firm now and I don’t know if that’s right in her wheelhouse.”
Sent out as the $3.90 second favourite, Precious Charm brought up her ninth victory from 23 starts, defeating Verdad ($6.50) with Reset The Jazz ($5.50) another head away in third.
Holymanz, the well-backed $2.35 favourite chasing a third consecutive Coastal Classic, enjoyed a soft run just worse than midfield and loomed as a threat on the turn but weakened late to finish fifth, beaten 2¾ lengths.
With Wilde already heading back to Warrnambool following an earlier win with Darkbonee, racing manager Ben Casanelia handled post-race duties and was glowing in his assessment of the six-year-old, who came into the race off a fifth in the Listed Lord Stakes.
“It has been a fantastic preparation and she has always probably had the ability but it has taken some time to get there and it has all come together for her,” Casanelia said.
“She had no weight and she was drawn well. She is in form and the negatives were probably the harder track and the back-up because you’re never quite sure how mares will back up.
“She put it together and Harry rode her an absolute treat.”
The Coastal Classic victory capped a winning double for the Precious Charm team, with Coffey also scoring aboard Sweethearted earlier on the program for Phillip Stokes.
The post Precious Charm digs deep in the Coastal Classic first appeared on Just Horse Racing.
