Skip to main navigation Skip to main content

Maloney continues golden Queensland run

18 August 2018

Share this page

Share on a platform

Or copy the page link

By Glenn Davis

Former Melbourne jockey Ryan Maloney continued his golden run since relocating to Queensland winning aboard Awake The Stars in the Washpool Lodge Handicap at the Gold Coast on Saturday.

Awake The Stars, backing up a week after her third at Doomben on August 11, surprised connections by racing midfield before storming home to down Sister Patti by 3-1/4 lengths.

Tedder Avenue was third, a further short half head away.

Maloney served out a four month ban in Victoria before linking with the Toby Edmonds stable on the Gold Coast.

Maloney first rode for Edmonds when he won aboard Eptimum in the Group Three Red Anchor Stakes at Moonee Valley last spring.

Awake The Stars was Ryan’s seventh winner and fifth for Edmonds from only 18 rides since making Queensland his new base.

Edmonds praised Maloney’s for his quick thinking after pre-race tactics were thrown into disarray.

“It was a great ride as we thought she would go forward but Ryan did a great job to get on the back of the favourite,” Edmonds said.

“We were always going to back-up her up if she pulled up well after last week’s run and it was important she won today.

"She'll go to stud now."

Maloney said he was forced to alter tactics when Awake The Stars failed to show her customary early speed.

“She probably lost a bit of her early dash after her run last week so there was no point trying to push forward on her,” he said.

“In the end she put them away easily.”

Awake The Star’s win took her record to six wins and four placings from 19 starts and boosted her prizemoney to more than $130,000.

Meanwhile Darktown Strutter maintained her unbeaten record at the Gold Coast with a decisive win in the Class Six Plate (900m).

Ridden by premier jockey Jeff Lloyd, Darktown Strutter overcame a few obstacles in the straight to down Rebel Miss.

Darktown Strutter has now had five starts for as many wins at the Gold Coast and has won seven of her 11 starts.

“The plan was to ride her off the speed but I was a bit worried she wasn’t going to get out,” said winning trainer Kelly Schweida.

“We’ve done a lot of work with her teaching her to race off the speed.”

Racing Queensland webnews   August 18