Trainer Peter Snowden had some extra pressure placed on his shoulders when saddling Drifting at Caulfield.
The filly is owned by a large contingent of the Snowden family, many of whom were on-course at Caulfield to watch the filly run in the Group 3 Quezette Stakes (1100m) on Saturday.
Snowden need not have worried as Drifting ($3) raced to a half-length win under Blake Shinn from Tasmanian visitor Geegees Mistruth ($9.50) with Kirribilli ($20) a further 1-¾ lengths away third.
“There’s no more pressure than family pressure and it is always good to get a result like that,” Snowden said.
“Blake rode her really well and I would have been disappointed if she didn’t win with the run that she had.
“She’s also run nice time and we’re very lucky to have a filly like her.”
Snowden said he must now decide where the filly will head next.
He said Drifting would head back to his stable in Sydney but there was a couple of options in Melbourne for the filly in the coming month.
“I’ll have a good think about that,” Snowden said.
“I’m leaning more towards Melbourne, but I’ll give myself a week to have a think about it.
“There’s the (Group 2) Furious Stakes back home, but there’s a couple of options down here for her as well.
“There’s no rush as she’s very athletic and doesn’t need a lot of racing, so we’ll just pick the right races and hopefully we’ll keep kicking goals.”
Shinn has had a long association with Snowden and was having his first ride on the filly.
He said Drifting had been well prepared for her first-up assignment.
“She’s a very exciting filly and full credit to Peter, he has placed her really well,” Shinn said.
“She’s just a pleasure to ride. She’s foolproof in her manners and she’s got some form around some great fillies.
“Although she had to concede some weight to her opposition, we had a nice run in front and her class shone through.”