Racing: Jockey draws rich praise from trainer

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Allan Sharrock was moved to all but break a golden rule at Awapuni where his gifted mare Gypsy Fair won the feature event, courtesy of a flawless ride.

The New Plymouth trainer devised a pre-race plan and delivered his instructions accordingly to Samantha Wynne ahead of the group three Merial Ancare Metric Mile on yesterday.

The southern jockey then played her part in guiding Gypsy Fair to a defeat of the favourite Platinum Command.

"I don't give 10s to riders, but that was a nine and three-quarter," Sharrock said.

"I told her to take off at the 500 and put them to the sword and she rode her perfectly."

Gypsy Fair jumped well to be outside the early leader Kindaleica before Wynne allowed the 6-year-old to stride to the front and she turned up the pressure across the top.

The daughter of Falkirk was well clear on straightening and she stuck to her task grimly down the straight to have a neck on Platinum Command, who came from the tail of the field, at the post with New York Minute also making late ground for third.

Sharrock said he rarely asked his horses to step from 1200 to 1600 metres, but in Gypsy Fair's case it was an opportunity he couldn't afford to miss.

"She's out of a Zabeel mare so I thought she'd stick on and we're running out of wet tracks for her," he said.

"She's a genuine heavy track horse with a good pedigree and now she's got black type. I think those fillies and mares' weight-for-age races in the autumn will beckon her."

The winner of six races, Gypsy Fair is a grand-daughter of the group one Queensland Oaks winner Round The World, who was also placed in the AJC Oaks and the Sydney and Brisbane Cups, and the family of the recently retired group one winner Valley Girl.

- NZ Racing Desk.