PATIENCE paid off for Bendigo trainer Rod Symons and the connections of Kiata after the filly broke through for a maiden win at Pakenham last Friday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The three-year-old's debut had been more than 12-months in the making, with the Listed race-winning trainer revealing he had initially aimed Kiata at the 2019 VOBIS Gold Rush (1000m) on Golden Mile race day at Bendigo.
The filly ended up only being an emergency and missed a start before she was beset by injuries.
"She had a touch of shin soreness and then we got her up for a preparation and she got a hind leg lameness, which was diagnosed as a cracked tibia," Symons said.
"That needed some locking up and a long-term spell.
"I always thought she would be a good prospect once those things settled down."
That ability was evident in Kiata winning five trials prior to her race day debut.
"It's been a long haul for the owners. We've had a bit of faith in her, she's always been very impressive," Symons said.
The win carried an impressive $8400 VOBIS bonus for owners.
Kiata, who was superbly ridden by Regan Bayliss, jumped well from barrier one and was always in a prominent position.
It's been a long haul for the owners. We've had a bit of faith in her, she's always been very impressive.
- Rod Symons
The filly was able quickly shake off the challenge of the favourite Quesadilla in the straight and cruised to a convincing 1.5 length victory.
Further proof of her potential, Kiata clocked the fastest 1000m of the meeting (57.12 seconds) and the second fastest 1000m of the week.
The filly was able to emulate the deeds of her father and mother, who both also won on debut.
The sire Kuroshio kick-started his racing career with a Listed win for Peter Snowden at Flemington in 2012, while the dam Lascelles was an impressive 2.2 length winner for Symons at Bendigo over 1000m in 2011.
An impressive effort has the trainer already looking at 'bigger and better things'.
"She's actually entered on Saturday in Melbourne, which will be a big step up for us. It could easily be a stakes race, it's that strong," Symons said.
"We probably have to throw her in the deep end with the changed (racing) conditions and the coronavirus being around. We'll have to race her sooner rather than later.
"We're rated 35th in the nominations and might not even get a run; we haven't got a lot of weight advantage on the really good horses.
"But if she improves a bit, she might feature. It's a big step up, but she was impressive. She's got the ability, let's hope she has the improvement."
Symons, who like all racing people is just happy for the opportunity to keep operating, nearly made it winners with his last two runners at Swan Hill on Monday, with third-starter Perfect War finishing a close second behind Tiny Rebel in a 1200m maiden.
Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.