Goldfields: Another star for Vellas' matriarch
By Ben Sporle, October 6, 2015 - 12:13 PM

Wingrove Park breeders Joe and Daira Vella marked a third generation of success when Flying Spark claimed the $23,000 Cup Eve Gala @ All Seasons Maiden Plate (1100m) at Bendigo last week.
The Shane Fliedner-trained three-year-old is raced by Wingrove Park and hails from Sparks Fly, who the Vellas raced to stakes success, most notably in winning the 2008 Morphettville Guineas.
Sparks Fly is out of the three-time city winner Dual Spark, whom the Vellas raced early last decade with Flemington trainer Brian Mayfield-Smith.
Flying Spark was sent out $3.70 second favourite at Bendigo, coming off a debut third at the same track as an $81 chance.
Jockey Chris Parnham settled her behind the pace and pounced on the lead 200 metres from home to hold off the challenge of the Team Hawkes-trained favourite Sparta.
“She got there really easily but she probably wanted to pull up a bit late when she was on her own,” Parnham said. “There’s definitely some improvement there — she’s a nice horse on the way up.”
Flying Spark is the third winner Fliedner has prepared from the Dual Spark line. The stable had considerable success with 2012 Gold Bracelet winner Sparks Alight and half-brother Sparks Burn.
Flying Spark is the first foal from Sparks Fly, who has foals by Medaglia d’Oro and Lonhro on the ground.
Dashing Darling
Agnus Darling notched a deserved win for Bendigo trainer Arthur Pace in the $10,000 The American Hotel Maiden Plate (1100m) at Gunbower last Saturday.
Second up from a spell, the daughter of Magnus made short work of her nine rivals under the guidance of Roger Booth, giving the 53-year-old hoop the first leg of a double.
The four-year-old’s three previous starts had all come at Swan Hill, most recently a first-up sixth 13 days before the Gunbower win.
She was sent out $4.50 second favourite at Gunbower and it was painless work for her backers. She settled behind the leader before peeling off that horse’s back at the 200 metres to score by a length.
Agnus Darling is a half-sister to stakes performers Feel The Noise and Shockeroo. She was bred and is part-owned by the Yeaman family.
The mare was strapped by Pace’s daughter Courtney, the leading rider on the picnic circuit last season.
Pace will be in demand for the Cranbourne Corinthian on Friday week, October 16.
The open trophy race, with a 63kg minimum and restricted to horses who’ve had at least two starts at the picnics, will have full tote betting and be broadcast live on Racing.com.
Jack, just
Bendigo-based Graham Browney trained his first winner for 2015 when stable newcomer Alangejack scored his second win at the Gunbower meeting.
The six-year-old was sent out a $3 chance on the back of an eye-catching effort at Swan Hill on September 20 and notched his second win from 19 starts.
Billy Egan allowed the son of Al Maher to find his feet in the early stages over 1300 metres and was granted the saloon passage in the straight to get the bob of the head in over Frisky No More.
Goldfields-based apprentice Carryn Londregan, who rode Frisky No More, would make up for that narrow defeat in the $20,000 Procal Dairies Gunbower Gold Cup, riding favourite Leveraction to an all-the-way win for Echuca trainer Daryl Archard.

 

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