Ayasha scores impressive win to hand apprentice Tyla Becker first victory at opening meeting

Rising apprentice Tyla Becker says the impressive win by Ayasha at the opening meeting in the Great Southern is a great confidence boost for her.

Becker has moved to the region as Steve Wolfe’s stable apprentice for the season but took the opportunity to ride the Stephen Sheehy-trained galloper and got her season off on a winning note.

The six-year-old mare produced a sharp turn of foot before holding on in the dying stages to defeat Convalesce by 0.6 lengths in the Aidinville Premium Feeds Handicap (1450m).

Becker jumped out positively on Ayasha from barrier seven and sat in the clear behind the leaders before hitting the lead at the top of the straight and opening up a winning margin in the final 200m.

“To get a winner at the first meeting was definitely a great confidence boost to kickstart my season,” Becker said.

“I definitely knew she was going to run well after watching her replays, she loves the track and that’s her ideal distance.

“She had two fitness runs under her belt which definitely helped.

“Ideally looking back at the run I think I pulled out a little too early, I should have let the horse in front of me take me into the straight more, but I also had a lot of horse travelling underneath me so I was in two minds.

“She’s a little pocket rocket and gave me a great ride.”

Promising mare Worth A Risk landed her fourth career win for Daniel and Ben Pearce when taking out the Hygain Recuperate Handicap (1500m) and handing young gun apprentice Holly Watson the second leg of a winning double.

Racing third-up from a spell, the six-year-old jumped the gates cleanly and settled in the one-out, one-back position and despite searching for clear galloping room on straightening, Watson was able to spear the mare through a gap inside the 200m mark.

She sprinted clear to hold off the fast-finishing Schoolwork by a long neck.

Local trainer Samantha Faithfull started the seven-race program in red-hot form, taking out the first two events with Blue Line and Vrum.

Blue Line was having his first start for Faithfull in the Hygain Tracktorque Maiden (1000m) and after settling near the rear sprinted through the field in the straight to win impressively by 1.3 lengths for Watson at long odds of $26 on TABtouch tote over Pro Is Here.

Vrum made it a race-to-race double for Faithfull as she teamed up with her daughter Natasha to take out the Hygain Release Maiden by 1.1 lengths over Henry the Aviator.

After jumping favourite, Vrum led all the way and booted clear in the straight to break maiden status at career start 16.

Roy Rogers notched his first winner in the final event on the program with former Eastern States galloper Mr Causeway leading all the way for Jade McNaught to salute by a length.