Debutants deliver thrilling finish at Geelong

Avery Anna has signalled a promising future with a debut victory at Geelong.

Wednesday's Ladbrokes Popular SRM Maiden Plate (1125) proved to be a nail-biting affair contested by three newcomers.

The filly, trained under the joint care of Leon and Troy Corstens and Will Larkin, was the least fancied of the debutants, with her starting quote of $3.80 lengthening to $5.

In contrast, the runner-up, Voltrix, started as the $2.30 favourite, having firmed from an initial on-course price of $2.15 following early support. Significant market interest also surrounded Big Lap, who commenced at $4 and shortened to $3.10, despite being available at $17 the day prior.

Under the guidance of Craig Williams, Avery Anna displayed tenacity in the closing stages to clinch a victory by a half-head over Voltrix, with Big Lap finishing a similar margin adrift in third place.

Larkin commented that the stable had anticipated a solid debut from Avery Anna, while also acknowledging that the experience would be beneficial for the filly's development.

"She's a filly that I think has a lot of ability, but she is still not all there quite yet," Larkin told racing.com.

"She was over-racing at times in the mid-stages. She's got a good turn of foot but was floating around late.

"I thought she was going to get headed at the 100 (metres) and run a nice third, but she stuck on and wanted to be there.

"It's good signs for a horse going forward and we did say to the owners this morning that she was still six months away from being at her best as she's got quite a bit of maturity still to come."

Williams shared Larkin's assessment post-race, remarking that Avery Anna possessed a strong engine but lacked the racing maturity on debut, notwithstanding the hard-fought, slender win.

"The stable was very confident with her today and she still has all her future in front of her when she develops a bit more and she will learn a lot from this race experience," Williams said.

"Most importantly, she has a good motor."

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