By Jess de Lautour, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
Otaki galloper Driftin picked up her first win in more than two years when causing an upset in the Challenge Carterton R75 (1000m) at Tauherenikau on Sunday.
The five-year-old by Merchant Navy had been a winner on the Cambridge Synthetic in September 2023 but was unplaced in her following six starts, after which she was purchased for $5,000 through gavelhouse.com by part-owner Andre Wallace.
It was more than a year later that she stepped out at the Foxton trials in late October and put the writing on the wall with a smart win, albeit on far different surface to the Good 4 on offer at Tauherenikau.
Racing out of her grade, Driftin closed the $22 outsider in a small field and jockey Bruno Queiroz ensured she utilised the inside gate early booting up inside of the favourite Debbi Harri. After travelling well in front, Driftin got the better of her chestnut counterpart turning for home and kicked clear at the 200m, maintaining a strong gallop to win comfortably by a length with Debbi Harri closing well late into second.
Her trainer, Group One-winning jockey Buddy Lammas, had viewed the race as another trial for his mare but couldn’t have been happier to get the result.
“We gave her a trial and we thought we would come here today being a small field,” he said. “I know she was out of her grade but 1000m on a good track was all she needed so we thought we’d give her a crack and see what happened.
“I thought she would go well but I said to the boys that we would use it as a trial being out of her grade, but you never know, we like to win trials too.”
Out of the Cape Blanco mare Backless, Driftin had been a work in progress for Lammas since she was entrusted in his care by Wallace and fellow owners Robert Galvin and Tyson Saunders.
“They bought her off Gavelhouse and she had a year off out in the paddock, she came in and out with a few little issues but we’ve got her right now and she’s happy to be here,” Lammas said.
Bred by Jason Abrahams, Driftin was initially purchased by Clint Isdale out of Curraghmore's Karaka Book 1 draft in 2022. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
