Toowoomba Turf Club - Twilight Racing

Successive Wins Honour Downs Racing Matriarch

Trainer Patrick Sexton claimed an emotional victory on Saturday at Clifford Park, winning the Barbara Sexton Memorial Benchmark 75 Handicap 1850m for the second year running with his entry Extreme Mover ($5.10)

The four-year-old gelding fended off The Clandy Man Can’s ($3.70 fav) advances to win the race named in honour of his late mother and Darling Downs racing identity Barbara Sexton, who passed away in 2009.

The top weight left barrier 11 strongly and took control after the hill, showing no sign of giving away metres to The Clandy Man Can.

“Even though leading is straightforward, you have to use some tactics.  If you can let them chase you up the hill, it sorts them out,” jockey Jacque Brown said.

“It wasn’t ridiculously hard because he was keen,” she said.

Sexton said it was not a question of weight but whether he could handle the distance.

“I just though Tony’s horse The Clandy Man Can was the hardest to beat. That was the horse that would make the trip the easiest in my mind,” he said.

Brown agreed with his sentiment.

“He’s carried weight before and handles it not too badly and with my claim we got 56kg tonight.  The only question in my mind was the distance, but Pat would not place him in a race if he didn’t think he would win.”

The two and a half length win made it five from seven starts on the track with a class record of 1.54.76 to boot.

Sexton said it was unbelievable winning the race in honour of his mother again, who was deeply entrenched in the family business and wider racing community.

“Words cannot describe the feeling.”

“Mum and dad had been in the industry all their life.  She was a big part of the committee in Oakey and gave strong support in the country meets especially.  She was at the helm of Sexton racing and she did virtually everything.  Everyone knew Barb Sexton.”