Pizza-Eating Mare Surprises Trainer And Jockey By Winning Gr.1 Doncaster Mile

Her trainer, Wendy Roche, had never prepared a Group One winner. Her jockey, James Innes Junior, had never ridden one. But the pizza-eating Nettoyer stormed home from the rear to take home the most surprising Doncaster Mile victory in more than three decades at Randwick.

Innes was in tears after the race as rival jockeys offered their congratulations.

“I am flat out getting a ride most days. The fact I can ride light and get an opportunity like this, it is just unbelievable,’’ Innes said.

“It is very surreal. It still hasn’t sunken in and I don’t think it will for a little while.’’

Roche, who trains out of Warwick Farm, was bullish heading into the race but her training progress should not be underestimated as Nettoyer can be a real handful to train.

“All week I couldn’t ride her,’’ Roche said.

“I just freshened her, I did 200m sprints. She bit the strapper in the head, he had to get stitches.’’

Nettoyer’s nervous energy was there before the Doncaster, too.

“She wouldn’t take grass, I had chips in my pocket, she wouldn’t do any of it,’’ the trainer said.

Innes, who is expecting his second child, was thrilled to be able to capitalise on the opportunity to ride the 5YO at 51.5kg.

Nettoyer powered home from the back of the field to defeat Star Of The Seas by half-a-length, with Brandenburg a short-half-head away third.

Melody Belle, the favourite, loomed as a winning chance midway down the straight but struggled to go with her more lightly weighted rivals over the final 100m and finished fourth.

Roche was asked how she was going to celebrate her famous Doncaster win.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do because all the restaurants are shut. We normally stop at the Doncaster and get beers so I don’t think we can do that either.’’

But Roche said she will ensure Nettoyer gets her favourite treats.

“She’s going to get pizza tonight, she eats supreme pizza with capsicum sauce.

Click here To Watch Race 2020

Full Finishing list 2020: 

1st Nettoyer, W. Roche, J. Innes, Jnr., 2nd Star Of The Seas, C. Waller, S. Clipperton, 3rd Brandenburg, J. Sargent, G. Boss, 4th Melody Belle, S. Richards, O. Bosson, 5th Kings Will Dream, C. Walle, J. Parr, 6th Con Te Partiro, G. Bott, T. Clark, 7th Kolding, C. Waller, H. Bowman, 8th Super Seth, A. Freedman, R. Dolan, 9th Cascadian, J. Cummings, T. Berry, 10th Mr Quickie, P. Stokes, G. Schofield, 11th Yulong Prince, C. Waller, B. Avdulla, 12th Mister Sea Wolf, C. Waller, J. McDonald.