AFTER A NARROW MISS, THIS TIME THE PHOTO-FINISH WENT THE WAY OF VORKUTA

By Graham Potter | Saturday, May 10, 2025

Yet again, Nozi Tomizawa was the Tony and Maddysen Sears training partnership’s go-to man at Toowoomba, where he guided Vorkuta, a Under The Louvre gelding, to the narrowest of victories in a Maiden Handicap over 1200m at Toowoomba on May 10.

The grey three-year-old had put the writing on the wall with a runner-up finish in his previous start at the track over 1100m. On that occasion he raced up with the speed early, hit the front at the top of the straight before only just being run down in the final stride.

Here Tomizawa had Vorkuta (the $4.80 second favourite) in fourth, then third position early, racing one out and two lengths off the lead.

He then moved into a clear second place with 700m left to run, now just a length back, still moving at a comfortable gallop … a gallop which took the Sears trained runner up right up alongside the long-time leader Dashing Basics ($14) who was now hard ridden and under pressure.

Dashing Basics did stick on for a while, but Vorkuta had his measure with 150m left to run.

The race now appeared to beat his mercy but, when Vorkuta started to feel the pinch late in his first start over 1200m (up from 1110m), Heavenly Love ($21) rallied late, flew at the finish, dived … and just missed, leaving Vorkuta the winner by an oh so narrow margin.

Win some … lose some.

In his previous start Vorkuta had been beaten in the very last stride by a nose. This time he had held on by a similar margin … game, successive efforts that were clearly deserving of a win.