The Pukekohe-based jockey fancied her chances of toppling a competitive field of three-year-olds in Saturday's Distinction Hamilton Hotel 1200 and so it proved.
Blue Shadow jumped smartly from an inside gate to make the running and Spratt
didn't have to get overly-busy aboard the grey daughter of Brighthill Farm's promising young sire Dalghar in the run
home to post a comfortable victory."I watched her last win and thought she would be one of my best rides for the day," Spratt said.
She hadn't planned to set the pace with Blue Shadow, but then filly determined that plan of attack from barrier rise.
"I was going to take a sit, but she jumped well and put herself there so I just let her roll along," Spratt said.
Blue Shadow beat off the challenge of Babe into the straight and she was never threatened thereafter, coasting to an impressive length and a quarter victory.
"She cruised along in front and I was quite confident a fair way out," Spratt said. "She's a really nice filly and that was a pretty good field."
Trained by at Cambridge Graeme Hughes for siblings Colin and Des Bishop and Astrid Morgan, Blue Shadow had broken her maiden at her previous appearance at Matamata after a debut fifth at Rotorua.
Her Te Rapa success came at the expense of Command Royale, who ran on well in the straight with Huayra a game third and Tellyawhat did well to take fourth. His rider Alfred Chan crossed the line with only one iron. – NZ Racing Desk.
