Trainer Louise White has called on a rarely used gear change, a nasal strip, to help Bettabet Red win her first Queensland start at Ipswich.
Bettabet Red ($9.50) finished strongly to beat Fleur D’Orage ($8) by 1-1/2 lengths, with three-quarters of a length to Real Ego ($7) in the Bundaberg Rum Handicap (1350m) on Saturday.
White took over the training of Bettabet Red from Fred Cowell three months ago after the mare was sold to a large syndicate of mainly first-time owners.
‘Some horses can be a bit loose in the nasal passages. I tried a nasal strip on my handy stayer Wimpole Street and he’s going well with it,’ she said.
‘So I put the nasal strip on Bettabet Red as well and it’s worked.’
White has a good strike rate from a small team based on the Sunshine Coast.
‘I’ve only got four horses and I am running three of them at Ipswich today,’ White said.
Winning jockey Robbie Fradd said Bettabet Red handled the wet track well.