Iylac Pakaria stars on debut

Two-year-old filly Iylac Pakaria started her racing career the best possible way, with a 12.2m victory in the $12,000 Launceston Belmont on Sunday night.

Sent out as the $2.15 favourite, in-form reinsman Mitch Ford positioned the daughter of Betting Line four-back the marker pegs before sprinting home down the outside in the home straight to score, to the delight of owner, trainer and breeder Bianca Heenan.

“We thought we had a nice little filly on our hands, and she has taken everything in her stride from the get-go.

“When she first went before the trials, nothing worried her. It was like she had been out there doing it for years,” Heenan explained about the half relation to Iylac Beach.

Heenan explained the filly is named in honour of her late favourite pacer Star Chamber, and the late Karyn Ford, mother of Heenan’s partner Nathan.

“I found the word Pakaria in an Aboriginal language book left to us by my great great grandmother, I wanted a name with meaning, and pakaria means shooting star, which I have always believed to be the souls of the deceased reminding us that they are still here,” explained Heenan.

Heenan indicated that the upcoming Sweepstakes series and Group 2 Evicus are on the cards for the filly.

Another horse that is expected to be on a similar path is Gigi I Got This, who won a trial in Hobart on Monday night by 18.6m.

Driven by her trainer Rodney Ashwood, the Rock N Roll Heaven filly showed good speed to lead in a 29.8s first quarter and was kept honest in the middle stages before racing away from her rivals over the final 400m.

The filly was having her first trial and is a half relation to Watchmylips, a winner of 11 of his 21 starts.