Most good judges will tell you that the hardest race to win in a horse's career is its maiden. This was proven at Kembla Grange on Saturday, when a horse finally broke his maiden at career start 47. So to win a race at your very first career start is an achievement that only a small percentage can enjoy.
Two-year-old filly Ms Brown headed to Wangaratta on Saturday to make her debut over 1170m. Although she had been impressing on the training track, it was always difficult to be overly confident about her chances of winning.
After receiving a perfect ride from jockey Brian Higgins, Ms Brown eased to the outside at the top of the straight and ran home strongly to cross the line first by half a length.
With a staying pedigree, Ms Brown looks like she will give her owners a lot of enjoyment over the coming years. She has displayed enough speed to win over a sprint distance and will keep getting better as she gets over more ground.
Even before yesterday's victory, Ms Brown has attracted a big following for a couple of unique reasons. Firstly, she is named after Linda Brown, who owns shares in a number of horses around the stable. Secondly, another two owners have created a Ms Brown facebook fan page that already has 142 fans and is sure to attract many more.
Congratulations to the winning owners, Richard Laming, Jenny Laming, Scott & Linda Brown, Noel Waters, Nick Court and Nick MacDonald.
Nick MacDonald, pictured here with Ms Brown before her debut on Saturday, proves that you can get into racehorse ownership at any age. He has been involved since he was a university student and he is hoping that Ms Brown is his best yet.
Racehorse ownership is more affordable than you might think. Laming Racing has a number of shares still available in horses that are not far away from getting to the racetrack. Please contact david@lamingracing.com.au with any enquiries.