­Mareeba races: Potiris a winner like her old man

Innisfail trainer Maria ­Potiris had a feeling Saturday was going to be her day. The daughter of Cairns Amateurs Cup-winning trainer Stephen had gone 35 career starts without a win since ­taking out her trainer’s licence last February.

Innisfail trainer Maria ­Potiris had a feeling Saturday was going to be her day.

The daughter of Cairns Amateurs Cup-winning trainer Stephen had gone 35 career starts without a win since ­taking out her trainer’s licence last February.

The fledgling trainer finally broke through on Saturday afternoon at the Mareeba Turf Club, with four-year-old gelding Il Principe taking out the Maiden Handicap (1123m).

After a third at Atherton last month, and a second at Cairns two weeks ago, Il Principe, ridden by experienced hoop Bonnie Thomson, went one better again to pass the post almost seven lengths ahead of nearest rival Craiglea Rafferty.

Innisfail trainer Maria Potiris with racehorse Short Term. PICTURE: STEWART McLEAN

“I had a feeling that it was going to be the day,” Potiris said.

“He was just beaten by Craiglea Rafferty when he ran third at Atherton a month ago, so I knew that it was D-Day, even though it was a small field.”

In 2018, while her father was holidaying in Europe, Potiris prepared Try Me Dol to win the Gordonvale Cup, but Il Principe’s win at Mareeba was her first with one of her own horses.

“Normally I scream and yell when the horses come up the straight but I was standing next to Dad and he’s like ‘don’t scream, don’t scream, don’t scream’,” Potiris said.

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“I kept my cool and was calm and at about the 400m I knew we were home.

“When I first got him he was an impressive third in Cairns, which gave me an ­indication that the horse has got ability, but he was still too young in the head.

“He’s at his peak now, that run will give him confidence and hopefully he can just keep putting his best foot forward now and get a few more wins.”

Potiris said it was an “exciting but emotional” day, with her first winner coming on the same track where her father got his first win as a trainer almost 20 years ago.

Innisfail trainer Maria Potiris with racehorse Short Term. PICTURE: STEWART McLEAN

“It’s good to follow in his footsteps,” she said.

Potiris said the win had been a long time coming.

“I hit the very lows of racing when I first started — no trackwork rider, injured horses and stuff like that — to the point where I was like ‘can I just give up now?’,” she said. “But dedication, persistence, hard work, early mornings — I just kept going and now I’m finally getting the results.”

She thanked North Queensland jockey Pietro Romeo and trackwork rider Mikhaila Brand for their role in preparing the horse.

“They got him started for me and did the groundwork to get him to up to standard,” she said.

Meanwhile, the racing meeting originally programmed for Einasleigh on Saturday, April 3, has been transferred to the Mareeba Turf Club. The change was made as a result of the additional financial and logistic requirements placed on Einasleigh to implement facilities and monitor patron activities to comply with COVID-safe requirements

Originally published as ­Mareeba races: Potiris a winner like her old man