Julie Maughan's Raceday Report_2 Thu 21st April 2016

Droughtbreaker for The Matrix at Tamworth 
For Bathurst trainer Nathan Hurst the win of The Matrix in the second heat the Live or Die Droughtbreaker Mile Heat 2 also heralded a winning double as both a trainer and reinsman.
The Matrix recorded his last win back in May 2015 thus breaking his drought with the win at last Thursdays Tamworth HRC meeting.
Hurst held his fire at the tail of the field after coming out of barrier eight whilst local pacer So Bad (Kerry Wellington) fired to the lead from barrier six.
“The race is a real good idea – it gives a horse that hasn’t won all year a chance”.
Once the field settled up the back straight on the first occasion Hurst shot The Matrix three wide around the field to race out in the breeze.
“They were getting along and he got up there pretty cheap” said Hurst of The Matrix.
The concluding stages of the 1609 metre race were “nail biting” with High On Dreams trying to claim the race on the outside of The Matrix and Alartmicksue taking an inside run.
“He travelled nice in the race but he got going once they got up to him” said Hurst of The Matrix.
“One came up the inside and one on the outside - they came at him really late and it was sort of all over by then”
The win of The Matrix was the second leg of the winning double for Hurst after Tulhurst Ace had won the Health4Horses Pace earlier on the program.
“He has been going really well” added Hurst of Tulhurst Ace a Mach Three-Dance Trix gelding.
“He made the Golden Guitar final here back in January and that was a good run as well”
“He was a long way off them at the bell and I was a bit worried then as he is a bit lazy but once you pull the earplugs he gets right into it”
Right into it he did with Tulhurst Ace having a 4.6 metre win over Jogalong Stingray (Lola Weidemann) and Dollars For Ever (Anthony Varga) 13.7 metres away third after rounding up the field and finishing off with a mile rate of 2.00.0 for 1980 metres.

Julie Maughan