The 7yr-old Danzighill mare, having her 49th start yesterday, has been a labour of love for two people in particular - trainer Danny Frye and his daughter, jockey Ashley Frye.
Such commitment was rewarded at Omakau yesterday when Sandy's Girl finished over the top of the 1400m maiden field to down Fiatt by a neck. Danny Frye said the difficult mare was only persevered with thanks to his daughter.
''If it hadn't been for Ashley, the horse would have been retired a long time ago,'' Frye, who trains at Balcairn, said.
''She's not a hard mare to train, but she's got quite a few little quirks that tend to rub people up the wrong way.''
The father-and-daughter combination had success earlier yesterday when Oxborough Magic prevailed in the rating 85 1400m, giving the team their first race-day trainer-jockey double.
The glowing smile on Ashley Frye's face told the story as she admitted Sandy's Girl had a special place in her heart.
''I've been riding her for the last two years and every day at trackwork, except when we're away,'' she said.
''She's my all-time favourite.''
The family combinations were on form yesterday as Wingatui trainers Brian and Shane Anderton produced four winners.
The third of the day, The Boys, seems to need time to get back into the racing groove. She won at her seventh start back in her last campaign, and yesterday's win came in her eighth start since she resumed in November.
''She took a while last year to come up,'' Shane Anderton said.
''She went really good first up this year and then she petered off a bit. Her runs have been gradually getting a bit better and her last start was a pretty good run.''
Anderton said stable jockey Shankar Muniandy, who was unable to ride yesterday or at Cromwell tomorrow, is still waiting on paperwork to arrive from Malaysia in order to renew his working visa.
Updates
Additional information for meetings today.-
Auckland RCRiderRace 9: The Grinner - Mark Hills.
Weather, overcast; track, good (3); rail in true position.
Hawkes Bay Racing
Scratching
Race 2: Nine Iron.
Weather, fine; track, dead (4); rail in true position.
