Punters were licking their lips after promising mare Ima Brazen One (NZ) (Brazen Beau) landed a huge betting plunge by fighting doggedly on the fence to take victory in the Dawn Eales-Baldwin Memorial Open (1200m) at Wanganui.
The Mike Breslin-prepared four-year-old was punted in to start a $2.80 Fixed Odds favourite after opening at more than $10 earlier in the week, and with apprentice Toni Davies making good use of her 3kg claim to ride the mare at a featherweight 51kgs, the daughter of Brazen Beau looked a top prospect.
Daves jumped the mare out well and she sped to the lead to set up proceedings in her favour. Her nearest challenger was fellow speedster Farravallo (NZ) (Belardo) and the pair rounded the home bend locked together with topweight Lazio (NZ) (Per Incanto) in hot pursuit.
In a knock-em-down, drag-em-out struggle Ima Brazen One kicked best and held out the chasing pair by half a length to the joy of her many supporters.
Breslin has always held a high opinion of his charge and believes she will be even better next season.
“She is by no means a wet tracker but I thought with her residual fitness and only 51kgs on her back she was a winning chance, even if the track was a Heavy 8,” Breslin said.
“Given her dislike of very wet ground she will be safely in a paddock come Tuesday next week.
“She is still a work in progress as she can do a few things wrong and that is probably because she didn’t have that much racing as a three-year-old due to a freak occurrence.
“She had a foreign body in her fetlock that couldn’t be identified but it put her off the track as she needed three months box rest and then another three months of slow recovery.
“She has it all in front of her now and next time in she will be ready to contest some of the black type sprint races on offer.” Bred by Brendan and Jo Lindsay of Cambridge Stud, Ima Brazen One was purchased for $100,000 out of Cambridge Stud’s draft at the 2022 Karaka Yearling Sales and her four wins have earned $89,710 in thirteen starts for the In To Win Brazenly Syndicate, a growing syndication group operated by Tineke Balcombe.