Spending time at the beach over the past month has made all the difference to seven-year-old mare Megamea and trainer Luke Oliver attributed that change of scene that has returned her to the winners’ list.
Craig Williams steered Megamea ($7.50) to victory in the Group 3 Vamos Stakes (1400m) at Launceston with the Patrick Payne-trained Jenny Jerome ($7) a short-neck margin away in second and local hope Alvarinho ($7) 1¼-lengths away in third.
“Being at Glenn Stevenson’s place through February has made such a difference to getting a mare of her age to be performing like she is,” Oliver said.
“She’s feeling well and looking good and racing that way, too.”
Megamea finished third last start in the Group 3 Mystic Journey Stakes (1200m) three weeks earlier to race favourite Yellow Sam ($1.90) who finished outside of the placings this time, and it was a reward for Craig Williams who was thereabouts among the placings in the earlier part of the day.
“I was very happy with her form coming into this,” Williams said.
“I ran into someone who saw the horse down at the beach they said she’s a bit of a funny horse but also with (trainer) Udyta Clark in the ownership, it is great to win for her.”
Oliver said that the VOBIS Gold Distaff (1400m) at Caulfield was Megamea’s next likely assignment on April 27 with spacing her races also a factor in maintaining her form.
The Vamos Stakes was the last of the black-type features over the Tasmanian Summer Carnival.
