MAD ANA drew on all her strength and stamina to break through for her second career win at Ballina on Tuesday. 

The daughter of Dundeel had closed off sharply over 1800m at her previous start, and she duly ate up the extra ground in the Class 1 Handicap (1920m) to carry her earnings past $50,000. 

Young apprentice Bella Youngberry, who was in the saddle for the first time, oozed confidence on MAD ANA after moving the mare into a prominent position with 400m left to run. 

Despite being challenged late in the piece, MAD ANA clung on gamely to score a well-deserved victory which rewarded the patience of her large ownership group.  

“Full credit to Bella for the ride,” said Michael post-race.

“She rode the perfect race and the mare was too strong for them late. She’s definitely furnished this prep, and to be honest I was probably expecting a bit more from her first few runs. But this was a fairly handy field for a Class 1 at Ballina, so to put them away might just give her the confidence she needs to take the next step.

“I think she can get to midweek metro grade, and she runs out a strong 2200 metres so that’s where we see her future. Her owners have had to be patient with her but hopefully we can reward them with a few more wins now.”   

Many congratulations to Mr C Mirgis, Mr B L Hannon, Mr M Sommer, Mr P W Traill, Beddalife 2, Mr P A Curran, Snr K M Kelly, Mrs H M Kendler, Mr G T Stephenson, Mr K G Caldow, Mr B J Leonard, Mr S Antczak, Mrs C White, Mr G S Curtiss, and J Lolesi.