IN-FORM Kyneton trainer Charles Cassar is hoping a pair of wins within a few days of each other is just the tip of the iceberg on an exciting few months ahead for his stable.
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The five-year-old mare made it two wins from 14 starts with a tough victory over 1000m, narrowly outlasting a fast-finishing Snappy Tycoon, also trained at Kyneton, by Danielle Chapman.
Snappy Tycoon was chasing consecutive wins after prevailing at Stawell earlier in the month.
Bred by Robert Patterson, Factually arrived at Cassar's property as a four-year-old and quickly earned a reputation as an out-and-out sprinter.
"While she is a five-year-old mare, she's only had 14 starts, been placed five times and won two, so I think she will continue to improve," he said.
"She goes pretty hard early in her races, so if they take her own, you do get beat.
"And obviously a long straight like Bendigo, she got caught there.
"She is a very hard going sort of horse; very quick. She is suited by a short straight, especially if something doesn't take her on.
"I absolutely think she can kick on. I'd be very surprised if she doesn't win five or six races."
Her win gave Cassar dual victories with half-siblings from the same mare, Pathways, following Foxpath's Cranbourne success.
"Foxpath is by Foxwedge, while Factually is by The Factor, an American stallion, who was shuttled out here for one year," he said.
But I think what Foxpath gets in ability, he gets from her dam.
"He'll probably go to The Valley in a couple of weeks to have a crack there, while Factually might head to a benchmark 64 or 58.
"She's probably worth a tilt at a 955 at The Valley, but I think the 955s that are coming up are all higher-rated races.
"She is a very fast horse, nearly unbeatable over 800-900m, but it's that last 100m that gets her.
"A 955 with the rail out and a benchmark 64 would suit her, but there's a not lot like that coming up.
"She might get her chance next season."
"I absolutely think she can kick on. I'd be very surprised if she doesn't win five or six races
- Trainer Charles Cassar
With 20 horses in work and the arrival of a bright new addition to the team in the former New Zealand Group race placegetter Spring Tide, Cassar is 'upbeat' about the future.
"What we are seeing now is probably not the best of our horses," he said.
"Of some of the young ones, both Foxpath and Factually have an unraced Street Boss sister, who won her first trial (at Kyneton) by two-and-a-half lengths under a stranglehold.
"I feel she possesses a hell of a lot of ability and is the up-and-coming horse I'm most keen on.
"But there are quite a lot of young horses around the stable that we are upbeat about."
Two wins in the week contributed to a big few days for the Kyneton training fraternity.
While Danielle Chapman had to settle for a second behind Factually with Snappy Tycoon, at Mornington on Sunday, Mick Sell got a much deserved maiden win with Brooklyn Baby, while Michael Jones prevailed with the former James Cummings-trained sprinter Lascars.
Cassar believed it was a good time to be training at Kyneton.
"The club have done a lot of work here; (general manager) Jon Dight and Gary O'Meara, the new president, have done a heap of work," he said.
"The facility has just improved out of sight over the last couple of years.
"We have a straight pool they spent just short of half a million on and they've just finished the dressage arena and the rebuild of the sand track is the best sand track I've worked on and I have trained on a few tracks in my time.
"It's fantastic. The club does all that it can to help you."
