Trainer hopes to get more shine out of Twinkling Star

Matt Vella has already done the job asked of him with lightly raced mare Twinkling Star, so he’s raised the bar as he looks for a breakthrough city win for horse and trainer at Canterbury.

The Hawkesbury mentor only ever prepares a small team, so runners in town are rare, as his major focus is in the breaking and pre-training world, but he’s occasionally given a project horse by Sir Owen Glenn.

Trainer Matt Vella is targeting a breakthrough win at Canterbury on Wednesday.Credit: Bradleyphotos.com.au

Twinkling Star is one of those. She was winless in six starts for Michael Freedman and was sent to Vella by her owner to see if he could get her into winning form on Wednesday.

The four-year-old has responded by winning two of her three starts for him.

“This filly has kept progressing so the next step for her is to go to town and see if we can get some city quality on her page,” Vella said.

“The initial plan was let’s win a race. Then she won a race and I ran her second-up and she was unlucky. I ran her again and she just bolted in. It’s a step up but I think she is going well enough to run well, she’s not a moral, she’s a good each-way chance.”

Vella has worked with Sir Owen Glenn for 12 years and he’s either educated or pre-trained all his horses in that time.

He’s not taking Twinkling Star’s task in the Ole Kirk @ Vinery Stud Handicap (1200m) lightly, while she brings career best form into the race he recognises the challenges of meeting progressive opposition.

“You’re going to a 64 in town and you’re meeting horses coming up through the ranks,” he said.

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“To help her page winning another provincial race isn’t going to do anything. She needs that city form. Even if she doesn’t win, it doesn’t mean she’s not going to win a city race in the next 12 months.

“She’s going as well as I can have her, she trialled well the other day behind Apex and he came out the other night and bolted in.”

It’s been six weeks since Twinkling Star’s easy win as a $1.75 chance at Hawkesbury so as Vella mentioned he sent her to the trials on November 5.

Supplied by Racing NSW
Full form and race replays available at racingnsw.com.au

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