 Leading New South Wales provincial trainer Don Robb is hoping to
match a previous hit and run trip he made to Melbourne earlier this year when he backs up
Saturday’s Flemington winner Powder Burn at Moonee Valley this weekend.Robb won back to back races in Melbourne with Alassany, when that
horse won at Flemington and then backed up to win at Moonee Valley.
Now a few months down the track and Alassany’s
stablemate Powder Burn will be attempting to do likewise.
 On Saturday local apprentice Rhys McLeod punched home Powder Burn for a narrow
and fighting win in the Curran Chemicals Handicap (1410m).
A three-year-old filly by Bite the Bullet, Powder Burn had
to show plenty of determination to fight back and edge out the Tony Noonan trained
Kelcheck right on the line. Naadera, who ranged up with 200 metres to run died on her run
to finish a close third.
Robb, who prepares his team at Wyong, said that Powder Burn
would back up this Saturday in a mile race at Moonee Valley.
"She’s a good filly and she’ll run at Moonee
Valley," Robb said of the filly who’d only won one of her previous 19 starts.
 "Winter seems to be the best time to race her as she seems to
really like the sting out of the ground," the New South Welshman said.
Despite only winning her second race from 20 starts, the
filly’s prizemoney soared over $90,000.
"Her win in Sydney the other day may have been her
only one so far but she has run into a number of good quality horses," Robb added.
"She was racing against some good fillies like Ha Ha
and Sweet Chloe."
Prior to her last start third over 1400 metres to Go Ziggy
at Randwick, Powder Burn scored a three quarter length win over Prude at the same Sydney
track over the identical distance.
 With a bright future ahead of her, Powder Burn is proving to be a
great money spinner for her patient connections.
"I bought her as a yearling in Scone," Robb
recalled. "She was a bargain at $7,000."
Winning jockey Rhys McLeod must have given Robb some
confidence at being able to handle the mile for the first time at Moonee Valley.
"She found the line pretty well," McLeod told
Robb while unsaddling.
"She showed plenty of fight and she really did impress
me."
PICS - Quentin
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