KATE Hargreaves and Alex Ashwood's patience and effective horse management with Ideally Say Yes has been rewarded with a stirring comeback win at Cobram on Sunday.
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The four-year-old was making her return to racing after suffering a fractured pelvis.
Confidently driven by Ashwood, Ideally Say Yes proved too slick for her nine rivals to win at his first race start in 17 months.
Trainer Hargreaves said it had been a long-road back to health for the mare.
"About 11 months ago she had a start up in Mildura, but she never ran because going up to the gate she galloped and we found out she had fractured her pelvis," she said.
"It was a pretty heartbreaking.
"There's been a lot of patience involved in getting her back; she spent a lot of time in rehab.
"She went to Rita Burnett's for the first six months and they looked after her really well; they spoiled her rotten and made she was always comfortable. It was a pretty horrific injury.
"She then came back to me and we have taken things very slowly with her.
"We've been very patient, but luckily it has paid off."
Ideally Say Yes came from last at the top of the straight the first time around, to snatch the lead from the earl;y pacemaker Penny Anne with 700 metres left to travel.
The daughter of American Ideal and Say Yes Josephine was able to kick clear in the home straight to record a resilient win by 4.6 metres from the Stephen O'Donoghue and Rebecca Bartley-trained Galactic Girl.
Hargreaves praised another top drive by Ashwood, who demonstrated his immense talent on Friday, by steering Everybody Knows to a gallant second behind stablemate Tornado Valley in the Group 1 Maori Mile at Lord's Raceway on Bendigo Pacing Cup night.
"He knows the horse very well and she has to be driven like that," she said.
"He went at the right time and as always drove the horse to perfection."
It was a second career win from 10 starts for mare, who broke her maiden as a two-year-old in a heat of the Australian Pacing Gold, in April 2018.
Hargreaves said despite her injuries, Ideally Say Yes had always shown plenty of potential.
"In her two-year-old season she raced in the Australian Pacing Gold final (finishing sixth behind Soho Nolita) in Sydney, and she ran in the Vicbred and made the final in that," she said.
"She's always shown she has the ability.
"She was actually a cheap buy at the sales, but for what she is she has certainly done a great job."
Hargreaves indicated the mare would have 'a light week' to ensure a proper recovery.
"From there we will look for a suitable race for her somewhere."
Success at Cobram continued a bright start to the new year for Hargreaves, who has notched up three winners and one placing from only eight starters.
The stable expects to have runners at Swan Hill on Thursday night and Shepparton on Saturday night.
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