It was just another win at a mediocre midweek meeting at Doomben, but for leading trainer Rob Heathcote Fillydelphia's victory was more than just a day at the office.Fillydelphia showed she had a bright future and could be destined for better things with a convincing half-length win over Al Faher in Wednesday's Coca-Cola Amatil Handicap (1200m).The win was Heathcote's 46th for the season and stretched his lead to 21 wins over nearest rival Liam Birchley in the Brisbane trainers' premiership.Heat
It was just another win at a mediocre midweek meeting at Doomben, but for leading trainer Rob Heathcote Fillydelphia's victory was more than just a day at the office.
Fillydelphia showed she had a bright future and could be destined for better things with a convincing half-length win over Al Faher in Wednesday's Coca-Cola Amatil Handicap (1200m).
The win was Heathcote's 46th for the season and stretched his lead to 21 wins over nearest rival Liam Birchley in the Brisbane trainers' premiership.
Heathcote, who is one of 10 children born in Launceston, won last year's Brisbane trainers' premiership for the first time and has his second title already wrapped up.
He was a tour leader in Europe before deciding to train and won last week's Ipswich Cup (2150m) for the second successive year with Our Lukas.
Heathcote is yet to train a winner at the elite level but in time hopes to accomplish the feat, possibly as soon as Saturday with outsider Acquired in the Group One Winter Stakes (1400m) at Eagle Farm.
He is immensely proud of his achievements in a dozen years of training.
"It gives me great personal satisfaction and pride to win the premiership for the second year in a row," he said.
"At the end of the day you have to have the supply of horses but I'm not the biggest trainer around.
"I've got 48 horses in work but I run them whenever I think they are a chance."
Heathcote is already focusing on winning next season's premiership.
"After I won the title last year I thought I might run out of bullets this season," he said.
"But all of a sudden horses come along like Our Lukas, Buffering and Tabulate who string a few wins together.
"I'm already looking at next season. I'm always doing things at least two months down the track.
"You've got to be a good communicator in this caper and have self-confidence and belief in yourself."
Heathcote said Fillydelphia wasn't the best horse in his stable but predicted a bright future for the daughter of Bianconi who had been placed in two of her four previous starts .
"I've always liked her. She could go for a spell now but after the winter carnival there's some nice two-year-old races for the picking," he said.
"I think she'll make a nice three-year-old miler later on."