Trainer Stuart Kendrick has enjoyed a dominant day out at Rockhampton, collecting a treble and securing a coveted QTIS Jewel berth with impressive debutante Another Champers.
Ridden by apprentice Stephanie Tierney, Another Champers (main photo) justified her short $1.75 favourite quote with a soft, professional performance in the 2YO QTIS Jewel Qualifier (1100m), cruising home untouched to score by one-and-a-half lengths.
“We specifically targeted this race to qualify her for the QTIS Jewel worth half-a-million dollars in a couple of weeks,” Kendrick said after the win on Tuesday (February 24).
“She has always shown plenty on the track and showed today that she has the talent. She should improve off that, and we’re really looking forward to heading down to the Gold Coast,” he said.
The win kicked off a memorable afternoon for Kendrick and Tierney, who combined again when Miss Mercy ($2.25 fav) dominated her Benchmark 65 (1050m).
Sent straight to the front, Miss Mercy (pictured below) put the race to bed quickly and surged clear to score by more than five lengths.
“Miss Mercy was well ridden by Steph — taken straight to the lead and the race was beyond doubt very early,” Kendrick said.
“She won by a big margin, and hopefully she can put another win or two together this preparation.”
The stable’s third winner came courtesy of Limero ($5), who broke a string of minor placings with a strong finishing burst in the Class 2 (1200m.
Tierney settled Limero (bottom photo) off the pace before peeling wide and finishing powerfully.
“Limero finally broke a long run of placings with another good win, again ridden by Steph,” Kendrick said.
“He sat back, came to the outside and finished well — it was an impressive win. He has always been so consistent, but it has taken a while to break through.”
