For Dear Life Challenge Success

July 24th, 2008 by Andrew Georgiou

If ever a horse was suitably built for the new Menangle Park surface, it is For Dear Life.

Sleek, speedy and strong, the talented filly did what most expected her to do last Sunday at Menangle and captured the $125,000 Watpac NSW Breeders Challenge Two-Year-Old Fillies Final.

If that wasn't enough, she went 1:55.8 for the 1609 metres but looked as though she was in second gear the whole way!

Finding the lead easily from barrier two, trainer-driver Wayne Honan was able to dictate terms to suit, however, didn't set a leisurely pace.

Opening up his filly, the pair ran the quarters in 27.0, 31.4, 29.8 and 27.7 seconds to score an effortless three-and-a-half metre win over Ima Spicey Lombo, with Perfect Jenna close up in third.

Honan never moved on the daughter of Life Sign at any stage.

"When the draw came out I was a little concerned to be honest with you," he said after the race.

"Even though two was a good draw, I was in two minds as to what to do.

"I don't like busting my two-year-olds so burning out of the gate had me a little concerned.

"So I was tossing up as to what to do throughout the week, however, with a good draw like that, I had to take advantage of it.

"I knew she could hold the front if I asked her to come out of the gate but I wasn't prepared to do it at a great expense.

"I prefer to let them take their time in finding their legs.

"At the end of the day, fortune favours the brave and things worked in my favour. If it backfired, I only had myself to answer to as I bred, race and own her."

A daughter of the brilliant racemare and producer Express Post, For Dear Life stretched her record to five wins and two placings from eight starts, for earnings of $162,400.

Just five days earlier, For Dear Life secured her heat of the Breeders Crown on the spacious 1400-metre circuit in similarly impressive fashion.

She will now venture down to Victoria for the semi-finals midway through next month.