Racing: Kyra breaks Group maiden status

Up-and-coming hoop Kyra Yuill claimed her first Group race victory when she rode $10 chance Avante to victory in the $125,000 Group 3 Colonel Reeves Stakes (1100m) at Perth’s Ascot racecourse on Tuesday.

Picture by Hollands Photographics: Kyra Yuill takes in the moment after winning Tuesday’s $125,000 Group 3 Colonel Reeves Stakes at Ascot on board Avante.

Avante, trained by Grant Williams, was sixth at the turn but stormed home to win by a halflength from Chris Gangemitrained stallion Werd and All Friared Up.

Yuill was in the saddle when Avante broke her maiden status in 2009, and has since ridden the mare in five of her six victories.

Yuill, who has three listed wins to her name, said she was excited to have tasted her first Group success.

She said she was looking forward to the remainder of the Spring Racing Carnival, which will likely include mounts in $1 million Group 1 Carlton Draught Railway Stakes (1600m) later this month, and December’s $500,000 Group 1 Kingston Town Classic (1800m).

‘‘I’ve got a couple of horses coming up that will be heading into some of those bigger races,’’ she said.

‘‘It would be nice to get another win, but one is always good.’’

The gun silk will have another chance at feature success this Saturday in Perth when she takes the Adam Durrant-trained six-year-old Manila I Scream in the listed $80,000 Ascot Gold Cup (1800m).

Meanwhile, Peter Giadrescotrained mare Precious Snippets continued her winning return from a spell with a convincing run in the Yellowglen Vintage Perle Handicap (1200m).

Precious Snippets, extended her winning run to three with top silk William Pike on board on Tuesday when finishing more than two lengths ahead of Reset Gold and Distinctive Dane.

She broke her maiden status in her last outing of a previous campaign in May and had a successful return at Bunbury a fortnight ago.

In Bunbury, talented up-and-coming jockey Ben Kennedy rode a hat-trick of winners, also on Tuesday.

Kennedy scored with three-year-old filly Midnight Whispers in the Brikmakers Maiden (1100m) and went on to win the next two races on board Time To Front and Amarna respectively.

He guided $9 outsider Midnight Whispers to an all-the-way triumph while Time To Front fought back from eighth at the turn to finish strongly and win by one-and-aquarter lengths in the Armanti Maiden (1690m).

Kennedy completed his trio of wins when he snatched the Jason Windows Maiden (1410m) with Armarna, who knocked off surprise galloper Flying Metal by a nose on the line.

Other winners on the day included Chatelle and Ice, the Michael Lane-trained Hidden Dreams, four-year-old mare What Do You Know, Classy Dubai and Tenacious Dane.