Portland owner-trainer Andy Graham’s recent decision to send Bay Me over to Allendale East trainer David Peckham paid dividends when the black bitch was successful at last Sunday’s Mount Gambier Cup meeting at Tara Raceway.
Bay Me, who won her maiden back in February at the local track, was sent over by Graham primarily to contest the cup. However, she was never out of trouble in the heat won by Sunset Milo.
It was a different story in the Bartholomew Pick 6 Stake (512 metres), though, when she quickly found the front from box four before running away to a 5¼ lengths win over Fantastic Flame in 29.71 seconds, a time bettered only by the cup winner Sunset Milo.
Bred by Ben Boers of Portland, she’s a member of the litter by Nitro Burst out of Lots Of Yap who won the 2015 Mount Gambier Cup for Boers.
Bay Me, currently the most successful of the litter with seven wins at Mount Gambier and Horsham, is one of four runners Peckham has engaged in Sunday’s Winningformula.net.au Open Stake (512 m).
A repeat of last Sunday’s effort should see her right in the mix once again, kennelmate Dyna Carnie and Steve Bartholomew’s Galactic Horizon looking to be two of the hardest to beat.
Two heats of a grade five series over 512 metres will be run on Sunday with Rough Pearl, third in last Sunday’s Bourne Kennels Mount Gambier Cup final behind Sunset Milo and Kipling, well placed in the first heat from box seven as are Fantastic Flame and Black Spring in heat two.
Meanwhile, the Mepunga Blazer x Colden Star litter, all but one of the eight being trained at Lara by Tim Britton, has started off in great style for Heathmere couple Roger and Bea Bryant.
So far, six of the litter have won, the standout being Carry On Star, recent winner of a $12,000 to-the-winner GRV Vic Bred Maiden series (525 m) at The Meadows.
This is Colden Star’s first litter, the daughter of Collision and Express Links winning 18 races with 10 of those being at Tara Raceway between 2016 and 2018.
The US-bred Express Links won two races prior to relocating to Australia where she won a further six on Victorian provincial tracks.