The heavily backed Flying Artie filly Twin Engine did the right thing by punters when opening her winning account with a 5-length romp over 1400m at Ballarat on Tuesday.
Given a patient ride by Harry Coffey after looking likely to be planted wide in the early stages, Twin Engine tracked up three wide with cover as Autumn Heat took up the running. Eased out for clear running around the home turn, Twin Engine put the race to bed in a matter of strides, defeating the Omaha Beach (USA) filly La Plage by a widening five-and-a-quarter-length with the Frosted (USA) filly Cullivel three-quarter of a length back in third.
It was the third start for the Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained filly, who debuted with a third at Flemington on debut in January before coming off a 27-week break to finish midfield on a heavy track at Bendigo.
“We took her to Bendigo and were bullish about her, but she did not stretch out on the heavy ground. Synthetic gives an opportunity to those young horses that don’t like the soft ground,” Tony McEvoy said.
“She’s a nice young filly that we’ve liked all along, and she was very impressive today.”
Twin Engine is a homebred for Wayne Mitchell’s Pipeliner Bloodstock and sported a new set of colours in bottle green, red yoke, bottle green sleeves with red halves, red cap.
The son of Flying Artie is the fourth winner from five to race for the stakes-placed Light Touch, a granddaughter of Robert Anderson’s wonderful broodmare Decidity, the dam of Bonaria, Time Out, Legally Bay, and granddam of Merchant Navy and Jolie Bay.
Light Touch (Charge Forward) was a $47,5000 purchase for MPM (FBAA) / Fierce Impact Syndicate from the Strathallan Park Stud draft at the 2021 Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale.
She has a 2-year-old colt and yearling colt by Fierce Impact (JPN) and was covered by Overshare last spring.
Light Touch is the seventh winner of the new season for Blue Gum Farm’s Flying Artie, which stands for $16,500 this spring.
