HAWKESBURY trainer Mike van Gestel celebrated his first group win as a trainer at the weekend thanks to five-year-old mare Casino Dancer.
The mare won the mile long group three Angst Stakes at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
It was the fifth win from 49 starts for the mare, who had to search for running room on the straight before galloping away to win by two lengths.
Van Gestel said the race could not have turned out much better for Casino Dancer and apprentice jockey Winona Costin.
‘‘On Saturday everything worked out to plan and our favour,’’ he said.
‘‘We had the first barrier and a forward position, the run of the race, with a little bit of interference.
‘‘I was very happy with the way she was ridden and we were very happy with the barrier one, three or four starts before we’d had a lot of outside barriers.’’
Van Gestel said it was nice to get the win in a field of 15 quality mares.
‘‘Everybody prepares his horse in the best hopes to make sure she can win,’’ he said.
‘‘We’ve been on the losing end many times but if you do it long enough you have your turn to win. It is not a big deal to me. To me it is a reference point in my life. When it comes along you take it and enjoy it and wait for the next one.’’
Van Gestel said the mare was quite comfortable running any distance between 1600-metres and 2000-metres.
Van Gestel said this week there would be a difficult decision made on the five-year-old’s future: Whether to keep racing or put her out to stud.
‘‘We’re not going to spell her,’’ he said.
‘‘We’re going to make up our mind this week [whether to put her out to stud], but otherwise she is quite entitled to continue racing.’’
