Super grass-track mare chases rare feat at Timaru
Matt Markham - Raceform • October 25th, 2025 8:00 AM
Country Cups can be hard to come by, but noted grass-track mare She’s Tough gets the rare chance to win the same one twice in a year at Timaru on Sunday.
The Brad Mowbray-trained eight-year-old won the Waimate Cup at Oamaru back in March, near the end of the first half of the grass-track season. But a reshuffle in dates – and a new location – means she gets a chance to defend her title a lot sooner than expected.
The Waimate meeting has found a new home on the grass at Timaru, just the second time in a number of years that the Phar Lap Raceway turf has been used for harness racing, with the meeting shifted to better align with the early stages of the Country Cups series.
Second-up from a spell, She’s Tough comes into the assignment with a higher level of fitness than she took into last week’s Akaroa Cup. And, while to the eye she might have been a shade disappointing, Mowbray was happy with the effort.
“It had been almost a month in between her trial and that run, so we knew she would take improvement out of it,” he told RaceForm.
“It was really only the last 100 metres that she blew out, and even then she wasn’t that far off the placegetters at the finish. And we were kind of expecting that anyway.”
All 10 of the daughter of He’s Watching’s victories have come on the green surfaces – three at both Methven and Motukarara, two at Oamaru and one each at Westport and Reefton. Add to that a further seven minor placings, and she’s quite at home on the grass.
“It’s her thing, it makes it easy for us to lay out a plan for her anyway because we know we’ll get the best out of her when we go to the grass-track meetings.”
Sunday’s assignment and the defence of a short-lived title doesn’t look easy, with some quality opponents on hand to try and spoil the party like Sideshow Bruce. But Mowbray knows his charge will give her all.
“She’s off a handicap, but she’s so quick away from the tapes that it doesn’t really matter. She’ll eat that up and land a lot closer to the speed than most of those around her at the start.
“She’s definitely improved off last week’s run too, so we’re hopeful of a good performance.”
Mowbray will also line up Impressive Shard and Ultimate Perfection at Sunday’s meeting and both are given each-way chances by their trainer if a bit of luck comes their way.
