'An honest little mare': Mason praises Strelitzia's heart after home win

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The four-year-old mare, he said, is "no champion", but works hard and has produced a string of good results lately, which Mason puts down to her work ethic.

"She's an honest little mare ... the best thing going for her is she's honest and she tries," he said.

"There's a lot that don't."

That temperament paid dividends at the Tamworth Racecourse yesterday, where Strelitzia picked up a win in the first race of the day's meet.

It was the first time she had run in a 2100m event, but Mason was confident her strong form in recent 1600m outings showed that she was well-suited to the longer distance.

"She only just got beat at Moree in her last start [on May 19], and that was 1600," he said.

"We stepped her up today to the 2100. We didn't think she was a good thing, but we thought she'd go pretty close."

"Pretty close" is an apt description of the race, as Strelitzia edged out the Jane Clement-trained House Wins by one third of a length.

Despite the rain and severe winds over the last two days, Mason said the track was in exceptionally good condition and said the new drainage system has "made a big difference".

"It was pretty good, a few of the jockeys commented that this is the best track they've rode on for a while," he said.

"A lot of them were from Newcastle and Hawkesbury and down that way. It's pretty wet down there, and they were of the opinion that it was pretty good."

From her last 11 starts, Strelitzia now has three wins and nine places in total. But, given the close proximity of her last two races, Mason intends to rest her for at least three weeks before deciding where he will test her next.

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