THE MACCA Slaccas they call themselves, but they’ve been walking around the stables with a spring in their step after syndicate horse Deceitndesire rolled home at Forbury Park on Sunday.
“It was a bit of a surprise,” trainer Tony Stratford says. “We thought she’d go alright but she actually won quite easily.”
The Macca employees leased the Bettor’s Delight mare only three weeks ago and she was having just her second start for them at Forbury. Dexter Dunn hunted her to the front from her outside draw in the 2700-metre standing start before taking a trail behind the favourite and sprinting up the passing lane for a comfortable win.
While Tony’s the official trainer, there are five unofficial ones — the other syndicate members, Tony’s partner Dawn Wilson, Caine McIntyre, Serenity O’Connor, Alison Jackson and Mark Gutsell — who are no doubt all claiming a bit of credit for the win.
The TAB must have taken a bit of a hammering on fixed odds. Deceitnsdesire opened at $35. We’re not sure what the bookies closed her up to at the finish, but there was quite a bit of punter interest and, in her first show of form, she ended up paying just $11 on the tote.
So who got the money? “I got a wee bit (at $18), but it certainly wasn’t me,” Tony says.
Deceitndesire is the third winner for the syndicate after they enjoyed success last year with One Christian and Euromaxx.