Koblenz Pup Sets Flying Breeders' Classic Pace

WYNBURN Solstice marched into the $17,920 Steve King Tasmanian Breeders' Classic Final (515m) at Launceston with a brilliant front-running display in the final semi-final of the Tasbred series on Monday night.

The Ben Englund-prepared and Wynburn Racing Syndicate-owned runner had posted the fastest time of all four qualifiers, when leading-all-the-way in 29.33 from box 1, beating She's A Dancer by 9-1/4 lengths.

Wynburn Solstice paced up from the inside and cleared her rivals by the first bend heading out of the straight.

From four appearances, the lightly raced daughter of Koblenz and Wynburn Dancer has won on two occasions, making her way into the series by running second to Frazier Price in the heats 10 days prior the semis.

“It was a great run; we were really pleased that she finally put it all together,” trainer Ben Englund explained.

“Her run through the heats behind Frazier Price was great, the way she took ground off the leader was what caught my attention, still very green in some respects, though she looks to be very promising that's for sure.”

Frazier Price was the next best on winning times recorded through the four semi-finals, the Stephen Gerrard-trained daughter of Aston Dee Bee posting a 9-1/4 length victory over Delta Whiskey in clocking 29.48.

Other semi-final winners were Random Sass (29.58secs) and Call On Me (29.72secs) in respective qualifiers.

“She was lacking field experience, so the last few runs have been a blessing to see her improve over recent weeks, from the breaking-in process we could see she had started to display good early box speed,” Englund added.

Ben Englund's chances of claiming his third Launceston Breeders Classic title are within grasp, though coming up with box six in the time-honoured Tasbred feature appears a tricky obstacle for Wynburn Solstice to overcome.

“It looks a tough draw for the final, we're just hoping she improves and puts herself into the race,” Ben stated.

Steve King Tasmanian Breeders Classic Final Box Draw

1. Lady Juliette
2. Call On Me
3. Frazier Price
4. Vintage Class
5. She's A Dancer
6. Wynburn Solstice
7. Random Sass
8. Delta Whiskey
9. Whiskey Flyer (1st Res)
10. Vintage Duchess (2nd Res)