Racing: Picture perfect win in maiden debut

Maiden races at this time of year can throw up a coming top liner and we saw one in Aftershock at Ellerslie.

As far as debut maiden victories go, this was as good as it gets - three wide in midfield without cover, parked outside the leader then proving to be in a different class to the remainder.

"This is a pretty good horse," said co-trainer Donna Logan with masterly understatement.

By Tabasco from the Blue Razor mare Delph is very obscure breeding - in fact, it is blue blood thoroughbred in the extreme.

Tabasco is a half brother by Sir Tristram to Rodrigo De Triano and Delph is a daughter of the highly successful stallion Straight Strike.

Aftershock, the medium of some inspired support, was bred by Graeme Mackie and raced by his partner, northern racing photographer Trish Dunell and Mackie's son Cameron.

Graeme Mackie spent more than a decade as a form analyst in Hong Kong and Cameron is currently following the same line of work in Hong Kong.

Delph's dam was one of the mares former studmaster Arthur Williams purchased overseas for several hundred thousand dollars to stand at his Ashford Park Stud.

"I paid $4000 for Delph and I also bought the dam at Arthur's dispersal sale," said Graeme Mackie.

Logan had everything planned around Aftershock, including banning Dunell from taking a photo of her horse before the race - long regarded in racing circles as being bad luck.

"I'm really superstitious and when I told Trish she wasn't allowed to take a photo of this horse she said: 'Okay, if it's bad luck I'll take a photo of all the rest.'

"I'm really happy for Trish, year in year out she's taking photos of everyone else's winners."

The racing plan had been to try and win a decent maiden race and aim at the 2100m special conditions maiden race on the final day of the new Cup/Derby three-day carnival on March 11.

"He's a real staying horse this and stepping up to 2100m will be no problem," said Logan.

When Catherine Treymane pressed the button on Aftershock after he balanced up in the home straight, the 4-year-old quickly establish a break and won by 3.3 lengths.