VANDYKE IN THE MIDST OF A FINE RUN OF FORM

By Graham Potter | Thursday, July 16, 2026

Trainer David Vandyke is in the midst of a fine run of success saddling a winner at three of the last four meetings where he has had runners … with the five-year-old mare Lady Lucifer being the latest to add her name to the week’s winners’ list following her facile win in the Mother’s Gift over 1400m at Grafton.

Vandyke saddled Keitel, the winner of the $150 000 Rockhampton Cup last Saturday … Rosso Levanto won at Eagle Farm on Wednesday … and now Lady Lucifer has stepped up to the mark at Grafton.

Lady Lucifer had won her previous start in a BM70 Handicap over 1350m at Doomben … and that, in terms of her form profile alone, brought a warning of its own. Those who heeded it, will have noted that all of Lady Lucifer’s wins had come in pairs.

Twice before she had put back-to-back wins together and, with that last win on the board, Lady Lucifer went into the Mother’s Gift looking to make it back-to-back wins for the third time in her career … and she duly did just that, coming home by two lengths with the minimum of fuss.

Those six wins have come from seventeen career starts.

Ashley Butler took the ride on Lady Lucifer for the first time in the Mother’s Gift. The daughter of Hellben started favourite, but she was still at the generous odds of $3.30.

The vastly experienced rider wasted no time in pushing the Vandyke trained runner forward from the very first stride … from a wide draw … but he did that in a measured fashion before crossing and taking Lady Lucifer to the front with 1000m left to run.

Lady Lucifer had the $9 chance Ocean Alps for company at the head of affairs all the way to the home turn and in the early part of the straight but, passing the 200m mark, Lady Lucifer proved to be good enough to be able to assert her authority at the business end of affairs, coming away to win with plenty in hand by that comfortable two length margin.