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A heady ride by apprentice Shaun McKay was instrumental in the return to winning form of speedy filly Queen Of Navarre who scored a gritty victory at Wanganui on the weekend.

McKay showed plenty of initiative to switch to Plan B in the early stages of the rating 75 Wanganui Steelformers 1200 as he took a trail on the natural frontrunner as the tearaway leaders Pasha Sumore and Thedepot engaged in a cut-throat duel up front.

The gutsy grey filly then showed plenty of heart to drive hard over the closing stages of the race to nab the win from Pasha Sumore and race favourite Leeds in a blanket finish to the event.

Co-trainer Jacob McKay was full of praise for his brother’s ride after their pre-race plan had been to lead and set the filly’s race rivals a tough target to catch.

“Shaun and I had thought we could use her natural speed and his three kilogram allowance to her benefit by leading and being hard to catch,” he explained.

“I was delighted to see that he wasn’t afraid to change the plan when he couldn’t get to the front as there are a number of riders who would have tried to press on which would have given her no chance as it played out.”

McKay was also thrilled to see the filly show plenty of determination in the closing stages as she had been inclined to knock off in the past when caught in a tight finish.

“Shaun said this time she really wanted to get to the line which she hadn’t done in the past when in that type of finish,” he said.

“I think that’s just a maturity factor as she has only had the eight starts and is getting stronger and far more professional all the time.

“She travelled down to Wanganui beautifully and ate everything we put in front of her which augurs well for the future.”

Queen of Navarre will now head to the Ruakaka circuit over the next few months with the good winter footing available at the seaside venue to her advantage.

“She does like the cut in the track but she won’t handle those very puggy or testing tracks,” noted McKay.

“She has a good record at Ruakaka and there are several suitable races for her during the winter so I would expect to see her there for her next run.”