By DAVID NAGEL
MAGNIFICENT blue-skies provided the perfect canvas for locally-trained mare Grey Chloe to show her true colours as racing returned to Pakenham for a seven-race card on Saturday.
The Michael Phillips trained four-year-old was given time to settle by jockey Jason Lyon before making a withering mid-race move to score a picture-perfect win in race five, the $15,000 0-68 Handicap (1770m).
Grey Chloe’s win gave Lyon the first leg of a winning-double, honours he shared with apprentice Ryan Hurdle who opened the program with maiden victories aboard Charnzel and Classic Charm.
Grey Chloe made it two wins from 13 starts on Saturday … both coming on heavy tracks after the daughter of Black Hawk-Princess Pindi scored her maiden victory at Sandown Hillside in August last year.
Loyal locals and keen form students would have snapped up the $9 on offer which, in hindsight, seemed way over the odds on a day where punters had the upper hand over the bookies.
No other winner started at odds better than $4.60 with the most impressive of those being the Michael Hibbs trained Mayan Prophecy who, ridden by Jarrod Fry, scored a runaway four-and-a-half-length win in race three, the 1414-metre Maiden Plate.
Saturday’s card rounds out Pakenham’s last full season of racing at its Racecourse Road headquarters, with the club moving to its new state-of-the-art facility at Tynong in early 2014.
Season 2013/14 will open at Pakenham on Sunday 4 August providing the perfect build-up to the first feature meeting of the season, the Centrebet MJ Bourke Hurdle meeting on Sunday 18 August.
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Pakenham Racing Club 2013/14 race dates:
Sunday 4 August 2013 Sunday Racing
Sunday 18 August 2013 Centrebet MJ Bourke Hurdle
Saturday 21 September 2013 Schweppes Spring Fling
Saturday 12 October 2013 Evergreen Turf Guineas Day
Monday 21 October 2013 PRC Members’ Raceday
Tuesday 29 October 2013 Relocation Raceday
Thursday 7 November 2013 Pakenham Gazette Oaks Day
Friday 29 November 2013 Centrebet Christmas Raceday
Saturday 11 January 2014 Cardinia Shire Kids’ Raceday
Sunday, 9 February 2014 Centrebet Pakenham Cup (Last meeting at Racecourse Road).
