THE last time he raced he was chasing Incentivise from a long way away on Ipswich Cup day so Madeleine Wishart was glad Sino Defeat returned with a win.

Wishart rode Sino Defeat ($4.40) to a two-length win in the Ipswich Hospital Foundation Go Pink Handicap (1200m) last Friday at Ipswich racetrack.

Flybridge ($13) was second, a long head in front of Sidewalk ($11), third.

“I was riding for my old boss Paul Butterworth so it was exciting to win for him,” Wishart said.

“We weren’t sure how well he’d go because he normally gets over a long distance but he just ran super today.

“Its last race was Ipswich Cup day and it ran well enough there but it was due for a break and it’s good to see it come back with a win.

“It gives you a bit of confidence going through with its prep.”

Sino Defeat finished nearly 17 lengths behind Incentivise on Cup day and Wishart joked she couldn’t see Incentivise from Sino Defeat’s back. 

Friday was a different story as Sino Defeat raced comfortably near the lead, hit the front in the straight and booted away for a trouble-free win.

“He’s been galloping really nice and he jumped well. Normally he settles back a bit but he jumped well,” Wishart said.“We executed that well and they’ve been running on from the front - they haven’t been really making up much ground today - and we were able to lead them from the turn and he was just too good for them.

“Generally you’ve got to be up near the front coming around that turn. Sometimes you can make up a bit of ground but today they haven’t been making up so much so we just wanted to try to use a bit of speed and get as close to the front as we could.”

She said Sino Defeat was one of the horses she rode in trackwork a few mornings a week, which made a big difference when it came to riding in races.

“I think it helps massively,” she said.

“Whatever horses I’ve been riding during the week at trackwork I generally go better on them on raceday because you get a feel for them; you’re more confident coming into the race and you know their little quirks and you know how much they’ve got left to give.”

As opposed to getting on them for the first time in the mounting yard: “That’s where you’ve got to watch a lot of replays but it’s not the same, I think.”     

An Ipswich girl through and through and proud of it, Madeleine Wishart said Ipswich Cup day drove home to her that it was a dream come true riding on the track she grew up watching.

“I think you take it a bit for granted sometimes but Ipswich Cup day was a bit of a realisation how exciting it is. It’s massive and I enjoy it,” she said.

“I went to school at Ipswich Girls’ Grammar School from Grade 4 all the way to Grade 11 and then I went up to Toowoomba for my final year but I even bought a house just around the corner so I’m a bit of a local.

“Mum and Dad owned a spelling property at Hatton Vale so I’ve always known the trainers and stuff. They’ve just sold and moved to the Tallebudgera Valley but they had that for about 10 years.”