Group 2 glory: Miss Grub came from last to win the Maidment Memorial at Sandown Park last week.MISS Grub returned to her sensational best with an exciting last-to-first victory in the Group 2 Maidment Memorial at Sandown Park tonight.
Flashing Floods ($2.10 favourite), seeking her 11th consecutive win, flew the boxes to lead the field for the first lap ahead of track specialist Sargent Major ($5.50).
Miss Grub ($5.70) began slowly and raced wide throughout the early stages to be 15 lengths last with a lap to run.
Flashing Floods still held a commanding lead down the back straight, however Miss Grub had begun to make her move and started to reel in the early leaders. Turning for home, Miss Grub switched to the rails and drove to the line to claim the $36,000 feature by 1.5 lengths.
Sargent Major finished well to run second, three quarters of a length clear of the tiring Flashing Floods.
The win was Miss Grub’s second group race win in 2007, having earlier dead-heated in the Distance Championship at Angle Park and took her career earnings beyond $81,000.
Miss Grub will now stay in the care of master Pearcedale trainer Kel Greenough and tackle the Group 2 Zoom Top and Group 1 Gleeson and Tonta at the Meadows.
The Maidment Memorial was first run in 1972 and is run in memory of former National Coursing Association secretary Roy Maidment.
The $25,000 to the winner Group 2 is the first of an exciting season of staying events at Sandown Park.
The Loretta Dawson Memorial, a special event worth $5000 to the winner, will kick off the staying season on 12 April.
This will be followed by the Group 3 Lizrene Classic, now worth $20,000 to the winner on 26 April.
Sandown’s staying season culminates with the nation’s premier staying event, the Group 1 Radio Sport 927, still the richest race for stayers at $60,000 to the winner.
Earlier in the night, Bumperjak ($17.20) caused a minor upset when taking out the GOTBA Cup, while exciting youngster Juddy will start favourite for the GRV VBIS Maiden final next week, qualifying fastest after running 29.97 in his semi-final.
