PORT Macquarie trainer Jenny Graham would have been forgiven for admitting that the Country Championships Port Macquarie qualifier was a bit of a blur.
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When everything all became a little clearer Graham needed to pinch herself after claiming an incredible trifecta win in her own backyard on Sunday.
In a race with a distinct Hastings flavour, it was Wauchope jockey Ben Looker’s performance on Victorem that saw him surge down the outside to salute by almost a length.
Awesome Pluck and Portatorio finished second and third to cap off a stellar day for the Graham stable.
But it didn’t all go to plan, with Looker trailing Shelley Beach Road by four lengths as the field turned for home.
He then put his foot down “got an absolute dream run” and charged home.
“I think we saw the real Victorem today; he’ll run 140 with his eyes closed,” Looker said.
“I’m the lucky one that gets to ride him on the day; there’s a lot of hard work that is involved before then.”
I think we saw the real Victorem today; he’ll run 140 with his eyes closed.
- Jockey Ben Looker
The reward for Graham is a start at Royal Randwick on April 7 in the Country Championship final.
“To place one, two and three … you can’t really explain it,” she said.
“To be fair, I was trying to watch three horses (at once) and I didn’t know where they were until right at the end.
“I was going to be really happy if I did get one (to qualify) and I was hoping to get one mainly because of the pressure that I felt was on me.
“It was at the end when I said to myself “there they all are!”
It was three-year-old Victorem’s fourth win from five starts.
Graham said Looker’s ride was almost to perfection and she didn’t have any concerns about the ground he needed to make up in the final straight.
“I said to him, you know the horse, you ride the horse the way you feel. There were no instructions; I said to him however it pans out you ride how you feel.”
But the Port Macquarie trainer isn’t just content on making the final at Royal Randwick; she wants to repeat her success.
I said to him, you know the horse, you ride the horse the way you feel. There were no instructions; I said to him however it pans out you ride how you feel.
- Trainer Jenny Graham
“I’ll be there to try and win,” she said.
Graham also saved special mention for all her staff and all three jockeys that made the trifecta possible.
“They all rode the horses absolutely amazingly,” she said.
Graham said before the race that a win would have been classified as one of the best results of her training career.
She now wants her golden run to continue at Randwick.