Leading Central Districts rider Lisa Allpress gave her younger rivals a lesson when she guided rising winter star Rosewood to a comprehensive victory in open company at Awapuni.

Rosewood and Lisa Allpress

Allpress, who had taken out the opening event on the locally trained Nebraska, sat back and let events unfold in front of her during the early stages of the 1200m contest. With her four rivals in the contest all ridden by apprentices, Allpress used her experience to bide her time before making a serious challenge as the field fanned wide on the point of the home bend.

Cuddled up by Allpress, Rosewood unleashed an irresistible burst to strike the front in the last 200m before coasting to the line comfortably clear of class performer Dolcetto, who made a bold bid for victory in his first run in a new campaign.

“She just tries so hard although I was a little worried coming back to 1200m,” said Allpress after the race.

“It was a David and Goliath battle as Dolcetto is so big and she’s so small, but she got over the top of him for an easy win.

“She just levels up behind them and then gets balanced before she pins her ears back and goes for it.”

Despite building an impressive record in this campaign with three wins from just five starts before today’s event, trainer Marilyn Paewai wasn’t totally convinced about her charge’s chances.

“She’s surprising me a little bit as I didn’t expect her to beat Dolcetto today,” admitted Paewai.

“She’s a quiet wee thing but she does like to be the boss.”

Paewai is keen to extend the mare’s winning run with plans for a black-type assignment in the coming weeks.

“There’s a race at Waverley for her, an open 1400m, next,” she said.

“After that we might come back for the nice mile here.”

That race is the Gr.3 Boehringer Ingelheim 1550 that will be run at Awapuni on 15 September.