Flighty Warrilla Set For Another Wins
- Thursday, 22 October 2009 01:45
Canberra trainer Keith Dryden fielded a phone call last year urgently requesting he return to the track following an accident.
"The message I got from a track official was `Get down here quickly, one of your horses has come down and killed itself'," Dryden said.
As fate would have it the dire prediction proved unfounded and the horse in question, Warrilla, lived to race again.
At Bathurst on Friday the now four-year-old Magic Albert mare lines up in the Kelso Class 2 Handicap (1400m) seeking back-to-back wins.
Warrilla's near career-ending accident happened when the mare was coming home from trackwork.
"She's a highly-strung filly and coming off the track a couple of horses went past her, she got upset, took fright, reared and slipped right over," Dryden said.
"It took us about ten minutes to eventually get her up, she was a mess, and another twenty minutes to get her back to the stables.
"Initially we thought she'd broken her shoulder and wither but fortunately nothing was broken. She eventually came good. I turned her out for a long spell."
Warrilla, who made her debut with an encouraging second to Bab Al Shams at Goulburn on November 21 last year, spent 44 weeks sidelined from racing.
The mare resumed over 1200m at Moruya two starts back on September 25 with high expectations.
"We had a few bob on her but she was unlucky. The saddle slipped and Kev (jockey Kevin Sweeney) nearly fell off," Dryden said of Warrilla's last of 14 to Aunt Lilly.
"She's a mare that can play up a bit and last start at Gundagai we sought permission from stewards to send her straight onto the track instead of parading in the enclosure.
"She's got a mind of her own. She's no angel I can tell you.
"If she decides she doesn't want to go she just stands there and refuses to budge but once you get her going she's fine.
"Her win at Gundagai was good and we'll try and seek permission to do the same thing (go straight onto the track) at Bathurst."
Warrilla scored her maiden win by a long head over 1000m at Gundagai and the quick jump to 1400m is in her favour, Dryden believes.
"She's wanted to settle in her races and I'm sure she'll be better suited over 1400 metres," he said.
"I've been happy with her work.
"She'll be very competitive."
