YES Baby Yes.
No.
Wow baby, wow.
Just how good was the Team Corstens-trained two-year-old filly when she ran in – and won – the $20,700 Parker Brothers Earthmoving maiden over 1200m at Seymour on Tuesday?
Pretty spectacular in her third start (she was unplaced in her previous two) after rider Ethan Brown and YBY came out of gate two, seized control of the running rail and basically led from go to whoa, absolutely running away with it in the straight to win by 3.5 lengths in a canter.
Zacouver nips Zesty Belle in a win for Corstens’ stable
If the 30/1 winner Fire Thunder in the first on the card hadn’t sent a message to punters, YBY ($7.30) hammered home the message with just two favourites saluting on the nine-race card.
In the first the favourite managed fifth but in YBY’s race the heavily backed ($2.80) Flying Nostra took off on her debut run and crash-landed long before the turn home, before struggling into 10th place in a field of 14.
Running with blinkers off for the first time, YBY turned on a merciless and professional performance, setting the pace for every step — and when she and Brown had had enough socialising they decided to get COVID-careful and engage in some serious social distancing.
Corstens stable conquer back-to-back weekend wins
After the race Troy Corstens said they had expected YBY to use her natural gate speed from the good draw and if not take over the running to be right on the pace.
“We were really surprised last start when we took her to Adelaide because we have always had a great opinion of her,” Corstens said.
“But when we got her there she absolutely flopped,” he admitted.
“So we brought her home, sent her up to the Benalla farm and let her unwind a little bit.”
Corstens calls Lurg home with new training base
After two months off YBY — who had raced at Sandown and Morphettville — was headed for her first bush run.
Corstens said they gave her a little trial to sharpen her before Tuesday’s race and brought her to Seymour “with confidence”.
Speaking about her previous start, Corstens agreed he was almost left struggling for answers.
“To be honest I was really scratching my head after her last start in Adelaide,” he added.
“I just didn’t have the answers and I thought we’ll take the blinkers off for the trial.
“And she trialled really well so I just thought it would be advantageous to leave them off for today’s race as well.
“She’s always been a really nice filly that we’ve had a great opinion of and it was really good to see her do that today though.”
Last-race Russ strikes again in Swan Hill
Corstens also agreed the win was enough incentive to take YBY back to town and give her another shot at the big-time.
He said he had been talking to one of the horse’s owners before the race, and said: “You just don’t know what you are going to get in these maidens.”
Well, they all know now.
Yes Baby Yes.
If you would like to send a letter to the editor on this, or any subject, click this link