Markham Dreams Big With 22 Length Maiden Winner

TRAINER Ken Markham is dreaming big with exciting prospect Whiskey And Dry and he is hellbent on seeing it through.

At Nowra on Monday night, Whiskey And Dry – a daughter of hot young stud prospect Hooked On Scotch – won the opening heat of the Les Thompson Memorial Maiden (520m) by a staggering 22 lengths.

The time – a slashing 29.70 – was the best of the meeting with the nature of the victory certain to see her start a pronounced favourite in next week's $5,000-to-the-winner final.

"I'm dreaming about the Launching Pad at Sandown Park with her and I will switch my attention to that after next week's Nowra final," Markham said.

"You've got to have a dream don't you? There's something special about this bitch and the truth is I just don't know how good she is yet.

"The whole litter has taken time to mature so I've been really patient with them and I'm seeing the benefits of that now.  

"Whiskey And Dry is only 26 kilos but very leggy and strong. She's bred to stay and I've got no doubt later on she will. She's crying out for further now almost.

"At almost every trial she's improved so where she ends up we'll see. But she's going to give us a lot of fun."

No stranger to a fast dog, Markham went into Monday night's series cautiously optimistic about his prospects, concerned about what his talented conveyance would do at box rise.

A flood of money saw fellow debutant Little Bit Sunny start a pronounced $1.65 favourite while Whiskey And Dry went around at $4 – a price Markham and his team didn't miss.

"I thought if she was within five lengths of them down the back she'd be hard to beat – yeh we had a good go at her," Markham said.

"When she began and led it was all over. Her last section is her best section."

When tickets go on sale for the $530,000 Launching Pad next week expect to see Markham at the front of the line.

"I'll send her down to my good friend Chris Tilley in Victoria so she can have a few looks at Sandown and maybe a start there as well," Markham said.

"Then she'll come home and I'll start preparing her for the series in March. She has the x-factor you need for a race like that."

At Nowra on Tuesday morning, when the size of Whiskey And Dry's victory was still the talk of the track, Markham was quizzed about her future.

"I'm hoping I might have the next Super Estrella," he quipped back.

And who knows.

He just may be right.