Promising mare Part Time Lover might still be a work in progress, but there’s no denying she has the talent to make her mark in stronger company.
The Cody Cole-trained daughter of Swiss Ace furthered her record at Ruakaka on Saturday despite taking a wayward path to the post.
The Gerry Harvey-bred and raced five-year-old broke well from the inside gate to dispute the pace before assuming control 600 metres from home.
She slipped clear at the top of the straight but then wanted to veer off a true line with rider Samantha Collett forced to stop riding and straighten her a couple of times.
Despite her wayward tendencies, Part Time Lover was still too good at the end of 1200 metres to take her record to a brace of wins and five placings from her nine appearances.
The mare is one of four winners produced by the Sebring mare Florid Affair, a two-year-old winner in Australia.
She comes from a strong international family that includes the Group 1-winning siblings El Gran Senor and Try My Best and the Brazilian top-flight winer Estrela Monarchos.
Florid Affair has produced a pair of colts by Redwood, Swiss Ace’s associate sire at Westbury Stud and is in foal to Tarzino.