Formidable far too speedy at Flemington

None of Formidable’s connections expected to see the display of sustained speed the two-year-old filly produced to claim Saturday’s Better Beyond Plate (1000m) at Flemington.

Formidable had produced two mediocre jumpouts at Flemington to give her co-trainers Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra the impression the youngster would benefit from the race experience.

“There were only six acceptors so we might as well put her in and give her a day out,” Zahra said.

“She hasn’t showed that speed at home either. She has run fourth in both of her jumpouts at home. She hasn’t shown natural speed but she has shown plenty of toughness.”

Formidable mustered speed quickly to lead her rivals comfortably by the time the field had gone 200 metres but the daughter of Strada made jockey Chris Symons earn his riding fee by racing greenly throughout.

Symons managed to keep Formidable straight enough over the concluding stages, guiding the debutant well enough to hold off the odds-on favourite If I Could, from the Mark Kavanagh stable.

“She showed brilliant speed and she mustered it quite quick,” Symons said. “I just allowed her to travel where she was comfortable.

“I had a bit of steering difficulty. I am glad it was a straight race and not around a turn, she would have been on the outside fence. I just coached her with the whip. She did the rest on her own.”

Formidable’s win gave owners Barrie and Midge Griffiths a welcome, but unexpected, wedding anniversary gift. Barrie Griffiths said the couple stopped in on their way to a polo match, thinking the filly would race well without winning.

“I’m still shaking, I was looking for a hole for her to fall in,” Griffiths said. “We normally wait until they are a three-year-old before we race them and this is a bit of an exception.”