Tears streamed down jockey Kate Walters’ face as she brought Any Luck home for the standout win of her career.
Thursday brought her breakthrough ‘Black Type’ result in the Listed Warrnambool Cup (2350m), two decades after her riding beginnings in 2000.
The trainer Wayne Walters’ daughter joined him in basking in the Warrnambool Cup rewards, but Kate looked upward returning to scale, honoring a lost colleague.
Her post-victory words centered on Dean Holland’s memory, following his fatal fall at Donald three-plus years back.
“Dean was one of my best friends,” Walter told racing.com.
“I knew him before he had all of the tatts and I’m the one who would get him drunk.
“I miss him all-the-time, especially at this Carnival and I’d do anything to have him back.”
Any Luck defied $41 odds, building on Tuesday’s 2350m benchmark 70 fourth to prevail by half a head over $4 pick Alder, Tempesti ($8.50) third another 1-¾ lengths behind.
Every one of the mare’s 47 starts has featured Walters in the saddle, with eight triumphs and prizemoney surpassing $440,000.
“I know her inside and out and I’ve ridden her since she was two,” Walter said.
“I thought her run on Tuesday was huge and she dropped 5-½ kilos today.
“She’s tough as Alder got in front of her and she kicked back.
“I said to Dad that as we had drawn the outside gate, we should go back, but he said don’t go too far back.
“So, it worked out in his favour.”
Walters sticks to country meetings mostly yet has eyed Black Type placings previously, like on Puccini, sire of Any Luck, in Adelaide’s Group 3.
Trainer Walters recalled Luckzat, Any Luck’s dam, taking fourth in the 2013 Warrnambool Cup.
Walters highlighted Any Luck’s unfitness at Terang two starts ago and the vital weight drop from Tuesday.
“She knocked up here the other day after pulling it’s brains out and I thought she would be right for Thursday,” Walters said.
“Plus, she carried 59-½ (kilos) on Tuesday and dropped to 54 today.”
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