By Tom Gilmore
Smokin Al was yet another debut winner for Shea Eden today at Traralgon as the three-year-old filly by Al Samer scored in resilient fashion in the $15,000 Unibet Maiden Plate (1100m).
Living up to her strong trial form, Smokin Al jumped well from gate one with Rhys Mcleod aboard, pushing to the front down the back.
Despite receiving pressure on her outside throughout the race, the promising filly showed plenty of heart and was able to kick clear at the top of the straight and hold on for victory by half-a-length in the detiorating Heavy9 conditions.
It was a clever ride by Mcleod, who made use of the sloppy conditions by pushing to the front from one and making rivals chase.
Smokin Al continues what has been a very good season for the team at Shea Eden Racing and our debutants, a big congratulations to all owners; Brian Cash, Keenan Galas, Daniel Holmes, Myles Hunter, James Hunter, Adam Innes-Brown, Peter Liedtke and Jeff McManus, who have been very patient with this slow maturing filly.
Todays win was a great stepping stone for Smokin Al, who seems a very promising type for the stable moving forward.