Kerry Parker will persist further into the winter with Heavenly Anna in the hope of finding similar tracks to the one the mare lapped up at Royal Randwick over the weekend.
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At her sixth start this campaign, Heavenly Anna relished a bog track at racing headquarters to easily claim the Emulwuy Handicap (1400m) by a widening margin of 3-¼ lengths on Saturday.
The triumph was the talented mare’s second on a heavy track this preparation and Parker intends on pressing on in pursuit of more success in the coming weeks.
“While you are in the off-season there, she has sort of found her grade,” the Kembla trainer said.
“She likes the wet track and just doesn’t like racing between horses so drawing wide on the weekend was perfect for her.
“The race was perfect for her and it worked out that way.
“There is another one of those races in a fortnight. Of course she keeps going up in weight which is a worry because she is not really an apprentices ride.
“She is a little bit tricky. At this stage we will aim another one at Randwick in a fortnight.”
Parker has continued to space Heavenly Anna’s run since she started this campaign with a runner-up finish behind Pomelo in a Provincial Championships heat at Rosehill back on March 18.
The daughter of Duporth went on to finish eighth in the final and has since continued to race consistently in town.
Heavenly Anna is one of four horses in Parker’s stable owned by Alex and Deirdre Illes, with two-year-olds Lolly Girl and Heartlet as well as four-year-old mare Heartlings.
“Heartlings is in the paddock but isn’t far from coming back,” Parker said.
Parker is in a tie for second on the Kembla Grange trainers premiership for the 2016-17 season.
The affable trainer has four wins at his home track, alongside Theresa Bateup, who had Bring Cheer win on Saturday.
Fourteen time winner Gwenda Markwell sets the pace again with 10 victories as the campaign heads towards a conclusion.