“I love greys” was how Lucy Warwick summed up her win on Verdello Blue in the first race.
The love affair continued in the third race when she won yet again on another Lucy –Lucciola, a little grey mare that seems unstoppable after winning her sixth race on end, and eight from her last 10 starts.
Both the stayers were ridden perfectly by the blonde bombshell who after the third race yesterday had also won six times (three doubles in four weeks) with a second from 11 Saturday metropolitan rides. This is a remarkable record. At that stage her overall season tally, on all tracks, was 32 wins from 191 rides.
Evergreen galloper Verdello Blue was all the rage in the seven horse 2100m handicap, carrying only 51kg after the 3kg claim of Warwick.
He was taken to the lead by Warwick and she then slowed the pace to a dawdle with Verdello Blue, who can be a bit strong, coming back nicely as they raced out of the home straight the first time.
Ben Paterson sent Ora Dare into second place and in the final 200m he loomed as a real threat.
“I thought Ora Dare was a real danger at that point but I knew my horse, with his lightweight, would fight back”, Warwick said. Verdello Blue won by three quarters of a length. Bridgestone was third.
Trainer Toby Roney said it was a sensational ride on a true stayer. “She got him settled and her tactics were perfect.”
It was her father’s chance to wax lyrical after Lucciola, running comfortably in third place, came off the fence on the turn to comfortably run away with the Red Rock Deli Handicap (2100m).
“The pair of them are in remarkable form. I thought Lucciola might need a couple of taps from Lucy today, as she had a bit more weight to carry, but she was untroubled,” Justin Warwick said.
The trainer’s other grey, Rive Gauche, set a solid place before finishing fourth. Drive West and Kirov Boy filled the places behind Lucciola.