Racing
Stringer crosses codes with success
Mick Stringer, a well-known greyhound trainer and Hall of Famer in the state, is typically spotted with a collar and lead in hand.
However, he was hard at work in the stands on Friday night in Launceston, cheering as a now-successful racehorse owner, when the Flying Concello ($4.40), trained by Jessie Bazan, saluted in the Shane Yates Memorial (1100m).The five-year-old Trapeze Artist mare lived up to her recent trials, and after a quality ride from David Pires, scored by a half-length on the line from Mastretta ($3.50) and Fluffy's Girl ($4.40).
It was Flying Concello's first win in the Apple Isle and her third in 16 starts overall.
"This is the first winner I've had in a long time; I owned a few others and trained them back in 2003," Mick Stringer said.
"I paid a fair amount for Flying Concello at the Inglis Sales; she originally came from the Hayes stable in Victoria.
"When you look back at her form, she beat Ka Ying Rising in a jumpout when she was two years old. She won a prominent two-year-old fillies race at Sandown some time ago, and she has a good pedigree, and I would like to breed with her.
"We'll have a great time with her going forward; full credit to Jessie and her team."
Jockey David Pires was full of praise for the mare's successful start to her Tasmanian career.
"It's no surprise that she trialled at Longford in the lead-up to this, and she showed a lot," Pires said.
"We were confident based on that performance that she could sit in behind the speed; she actually jumped that quickly. We could have led them, but I was happy to let a few cross me early. In the home straight, she floated a little and needed something to chase."
"To the horse's credit, she hit the line super. I believe there will be many more victories to come.
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