The lightly raced Headwater mare Aitch Two Oh returned to the winner's circle for the first time since the Group III Red Roses Stakes at Flemington in November 2022 when she dominated in the Listed Durbridge Stakes (1100m) at Morphettville on Saturday.
Ridden by Jake Toeroek for Richard and Chantelle Jolly, Aitch Two Oh made all the running and kept up a relentless gallop to defeat the 7-year-old Oamaru Force gelding Picargo by a length and a half with the 5-year-old More Than Ready (USA) gelding Grinzinger Prince back in third.
With her third stakes success, the 4-year-old daughter of Headwater advances her record to five wins, two seconds, and a third from 12 starts with earnings of $463,070.
"We were quietly confident, just the way she trialled, and she worked as good as I've seen her work on Tuesday morning," Richard Jolly told Racenet.
"I was a little bit worried at about the 700m mark when the roughie was taking her on, but they weren't going at breakneck speed, and she won comfortably.
"It's good to have her back to her best, and hopefully, we can go forward and run her in some nice races in the next couple of months over our carnival."
"We'll probably look at races like the Manihi (Classic over 1100m); she's probably going to be vulnerable in a strong 1200m at Morphettville against the better horses, so we'll try to pick and choose a bit."
Bred by Gerry Harvey, Aitch Two Oh was a $65,000 purchase by her trainers from the Baramul Stud draft at the 2021 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale.
She is the best of two winners from as many to race for the Swiss Ace mare Very Dogmatic, a sister to the Group III BRC Vo Rogue Plate winner Mywayorthehighway.
Very Dogmatic has a yearling filly by All Too Hard who was passed in short of her $100,000 reserve at the 2023 Adelaide Magic Millions Yearling Sale.
After foaling a Written Tycoon filly in August, Very Dogmatic was bred back to Snitzel.
