STARRED For Life has had more than her share of battles in her short life.
She has overcome cancer and defied the odds to avoid the deadly Hendra virus.
So if ever a horse deserves to be a winner it is Starred For Life.
The three-year-old delivered for Tylden trainer Dale Sutton in the Yeomans Rentals Maiden for fillies and mares, 1400 metres, in Ballarat yesterday.
She fought on bravely after hitting the lead to hold off Ingeniously ($5) by a head, with Play The Fool ($5) coming from last to get third.
Home bred by Woodlands Park Stud, Starred For Life's troubles started began with a growth on her face.
Sutton said the filly was diagnosed with cancer and had had to have chemotherapy and four lots of surgery, which required a large part of her face being removed back to the bone.
She now carries substantial scarring, largely noticeable owing to what will be a permanent absence of hair.
If getting through that was not enough, Starred For Life ($8) then became caught up in the Hendra virus outbreak while in veterinary care in Queensland for her battle with cancer.
Sutton said in a nine-month stay horses all around her died from the disease, but somehow she escaped infection.
He said despite all this, Starred For Life, which they wanted to name Scarred For Life but were knocked back, had come to hand quite quickly.
Sutton said the daughter of Encosta de Lago had recovered and now been to the races twice all the space of just nine months.
Sutton, who has 40 horses in work, is enjoying his best season since taking over the state-of-the-art Woodlands Park training complex.
He already has about 30 winners this season more than he produced for the entire 2008-09 season.
* WHEN almost half a millions dollars is outlaid for a thoroughbred as a yearling there is a sense of urgency to see all the right signs on the track.
Packing Commander ($1.80 favourite) sent out all the right signals for Team Hawkes in dashing away with the Whitehead Timber Sales Three-Year-Old Maiden, 1600 metres, in Ballarat yesterday.
The $480,000 purchase did it with ease, going away by more than four lengths from the Patrick Payne-trained Milonga Place ($7.50), with Ingleby ($3.40) third.
And jockey Steven King could not have been more impressed.
"Good horse mate" were King's first words on returning to scale.
That coming from one of Australia's best credentialled riders is praise indeed.
King said he was sure Packing Commander would improve as he stepped up in distance.
The son of Redoutes Choice found another gear when King said go in the home straight and quickly put the race away at just his second start.
Packing Commander is trained by John, Michael and Wayne Hawkes at Flemington.
* LITTLE Gaz ($8.50) made it two wins on end for Ballarat trainer Nicolas Bompas in the Golden Nugget Bakery 0-62 Handicap, 1400m.
And Bompas says there is plenty more improvement in the three-year-old.
Little Gaz won at Camperdown on January 16 and now has three victories in 12 starts.
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