Express Air rounds out a top day of racing in Queensland
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Craig Williams and Express Air round out Stradbroke Day with a win in the Guineas (Noel Pascoe photo)
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Craig Williams rode half the card at Eagle Farm on Saturday, May 30 and he picked up a win in the last race a week later on Stradbroke Day.
While the track was rated heavy due to rain throughout the week, the sun was out at Eagle Farm on Saturday, June 6 and the crowds swarmed through the gates to enjoy a “Super Saturday” of racing.
The day was rounded out with the Group 2 Mitty’s Queensland Guineas Plate 1600m and Express Air was the victor for Toowoomba trainer Rex Lipp.
Express Air (F3 Piccolo GB-Air’s Precious) raced with the backmarkers before finding a good position on the rails.
She kept moving up along the inside and got the front position to win by a length and a half.
Marveen (Blake Shinn) followed in second a length and three quarters in front of La Etoile (Michael Rodd).
Williams greeted the happy applauding connections with a leap off the filly as he returned to scale.
Express Air proved to be a promising Queensland horse early in her career before heading for a spell after an unsuccessful run at Magic Millions.
With no success so far in the Winter Carnival apart from a close fifth in the Group 3 BTC Classic, Lipp was pleased to see Express Air nab the Group 2 win.
“Her whole preparation this time has been absolutely the wrong way. Everything’s just gone wrong,” he said.
“We’ve had bad tracks all the way through. Her first two starts were on rock hard tracks which she just doesn’t like.
“The other day she just got back too far. She got on the wrong side of the track, the going was terrible and she did run up the backsides of them.
“But on the line she’s doing as well as anything. Today she got the beautiful run through and she was just spot on.”
Lipp was impressed Williams got the best out of the filly.
“You can’t hustle her. You cannot bustle her at all,” said Lipp.
“She jumps with them but her next 20 metres I could run as fast as her. She’s just got no early pace. You just got to let her find her feet and she can make up ground.”
Williams believed Lipp had prepared the filly well and she put in a good run.
“We looked to her form and on her best day she’s right up to these horses,” said Williams.
“Rex is really happy with the way that she’s come on. We just had to have her happy in herself.
“One thing she did today, she actually begun really well, which made it to be favourable for me.
“They had good tempo. I didn’t have to taper off the bridle at all. She always travelled really well for me.
“I felt that she was always going to start picking up. She had to hard fight to run down Marveen but she really stuck her head out and deserved to win.”
QUEENSLAND Racing web news: Hollie Roberts – June 9
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