Playing Games went out an odds-on favourite for the TABtouch Maiden (1000m) at Northam on Sunday and she lived right up to that assessment with a three-length victory untouched under Laqdar Ramoly.
The Playing God filly had shown speed on debut in the race won by Eliteone (Ducimus) at Belmont in May and she looked the winner when resuming last month before being claimed by All Play (Playing God).
Playing Games was bred by Gingin trainer Meryl Hayley and is raced by her partner Jamie Davies and Neil Thompson. “We probably pushed her in her initial prep and she pulled up shinny,” Hayley recalled. “Then she choked down first-up but we fixed that with a tongue-tie.”
That formline was classes above a provincial maiden and that’s how it played out when she cruised home after dropping front-runner Magic Belle (Patronize). “She’s very exciting and we will look for a race back in town depending how she comes through the run.
“When ‘Lucky’ returned to scale he had a cheesy grin and asked me the margin,” Hayley said. “I told him by more than three and he said she won pulling up!”
Playing Games is the first foal of Mama Bear (Big Brown) who is a winning half-sister to Stakes performers Fearless Gun (Bite The Bullet) and Pull No Punches (Elvstroem). She had been purchased by Elio Galante for $55,000 from Baramul Stud at the 2014 Gold Coast Magic Millions Yearling Sale.
Mama Bear has a 2yo gelding named Cash Flow (Universal Ruler) who won a Belmont 2yo trial for Hayley in August. The mare also has a yearling filly by Universal Ruler and was bred back to the Scenic Lodge stallion last month.
Darling View champion Playing God has a strong 3yo division and he sired another impressive maiden winner from that crop on Thursday when Best Mood scored at Geraldton for Peters Investments.
