A return to form by Miss Funny Honey highlighted a sweet Rockhampton treble for Kendrick Racing.
Miss Funny Honey (main photo) provided the middle leg of the stable’s three-win haul on Friday (July 31) when she stormed to a convincing victory in a QTIS 3YO Handicap (1200m).
Starting at $5, the consistent three-year-old settled closer to the speed than jockey Steph Tierney had planned before proving too strong in the straight, scoring by more than one-and-a-half lengths.
Tierney said allowing the filly to find her rhythm was the key to the win.
“She was a bit handier than I wanted to be in the run,” Tierney said.
“But I also feel like the horse needs to be in a good rhythm, so I took that opportunity to just take up the running a bit closer and just tried to keep her in a nice rhythm,” she said.
“I was mindful not to go too soon on her. She did sort of wander a bit when she saw she was getting closer to the post, but she balanced up again and kicked nicely at the end.”
Tierney said the victory was an important confidence boost for the filly.
“She’s always been consistent. But she needed this win up here to get her back in the right frame (of mind),” she said.
Earlier in the program, Tierney partnered Italian Dancer (above) to victory in a Benchmark 65 Handicap (1050m), kicking off both her riding double and Kendrick Racing’s treble.
Resuming from a short spell, the $3.80 chance settled off the pace before finishing strongly down the outside to score by half a length.
The stable completed its banner day when Heartoni (below) justified favouritism in an Open Handicap (1200m).
Ridden by apprentice Kayla Johnston, the $3 favourite controlled the race from the front and never looked in danger, drawing clear to win by more than one-and-a-half lengths.
Johnston admitted she had some concerns about the distance beforehand but quickly gained confidence once the gelding found his rhythm.
“He jumped super,” Johnston said.
“I was a little bit worried about the trip, but he travelled so strongly underneath me.
“I had so much there, I didn’t have to let him go until really late.”
With Rockhampton’s long home straight in mind, Johnston resisted the temptation to ask for Heartoni’s full effort too early.
“I was a little bit worried about that coming into the straight,” she said.
“When you have such a good feel, it was a bit hard to not let him go, but yeah, it went really well.”
