Ballarat trainer Shay Keating landed her first metropolitan success when Greenhill Prince scored at Sandown.
A former jockey who started her racing career apprenticed to her father late father Daryl Brown, Keating has held a trainer’s licence for the past nine year.
Keating had her first runner at Swan Hill in 2014 and prepared her first winner the following year when Airfare scored at Kyneton but had only three in work prior to her father’s death with those numbers now increasing to a dozen.
Even though Keating had saddled a runner in a Group 1 race previously, she had to wait until Wednesday to secure her first metropolitan win when Greenhill Prince took out the Evergreen Turf Handicap (1400m).
Ridden by Alana Kelly, Greenhill Prince ($13 betr) scored a three-quarter length win from the $2.70 favourite Spirit Beast with General Firepower ($14) a further 1-¼ lengths away third.
“It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been looking forward to this day, especially with Alana in the saddle,” Keating said.
“We’ve been friends a long time and we’ve had a lot of success together.
“He’s not the easiest horse to handle but we’ve worked him out and she’s been part of that process.”
Greenhill Prince has now won three of his 13 starts but didn’t breakthrough until successful at Great Western in January.
“I know it was Great Western, but he went around in a canter,” Keating said.
“We made the mistake of trying to hold him up at Ararat at his next start and it didn’t work.
“I said to Alana when I legged her up to go straight to the front and make them chase.
“She was able to get a breather mid-race and then had them off the bit at the 500 metres and they were chasing from a long way.”
Keating said she had considered taking Greenhill Prince to Ararat on Friday for a heat of the Country Mile Series (1600m) at Moonee Valley on March 18.
“In the end I thought this was going to be the easier option,” Keating said.
“Little fish are sweet at the moment. He can go through his grades, and he’ll be a lovely horse in the spring as he doesn’t handle the wet.”