Interstate raider issues warning to locals

FRESH from capturing her home state’s breeders’ series, Stripes signalled her intentions for an interstate edition yesterday.

Trained by prominent Queensland horsewoman Chantal Turpin, Stripes was triumphant in the Qbred Triad Final at Albion Park on August 22.

The three-year-old’s Group One success completed a clean sweep of the futurity, having also won a heat a week earlier.

Given a short break after the $153,000 decider, Stripes was first-up at Club Menangle where she proved too good in a New South Wales Breeders’ Challenge qualifier.

Driven by Turpin’s husband Pete McMullen, Stripes was settled two-back in the running line from barrier six as Fake Friends led and the favourite Sparkling Sea worked overtime in the ‘death seat’.

Angled to the middle of the track at the top of the home straight, the daughter of Tiger Tara sprinted to a seven-metre win from Sparkling Sea, with Papi Rocks a head away third.

Stretching her winning sequence to four, Stripes covered the mile in 1:50.4, with her time seven-tenths a second slower than Loucasso in the colts’ and geldings’ heat.

With trainer Seaton Grima in the cart, Loucasso worked to the lead from gate five before scoring by two-and-a-half metres from Alert Bay.

Undefeated from three starts for Grima, Loucasso has broken 1:50 on each occasion.